What if?
by Questfan
Summary: How much would you sacrifice for another? Lucas looks back over his life and has to make a choice that could take away what he treasures most.
1. Chapter 1

**Somehow this story got messed up on FFNet with chapters from another story replacing this one. I know it does some weird things from time to time but that one is the strangest so far. I only found out by accident when I came to download my stories so I have no idea how long it's been out of whack. I had a major computer crash a while back and I couldn't find my original files anywhere so I am very, very grateful to the readers who helped me restore my story. Thankyou to Sakurastar88, Azhradeen and NCISQuest for all your efforts in getting me various chapters back. If not for you this story would have wandered off into oblivion! Thanks again!**

**This is just an idea that has been running around in my head for a while but isn't enough for a full story. It kind of has a melancholy feel to it but I hope it's not a downer. I think I started tossing it around after watching "The Butterfly Effect" and thinking about what people sacrifice for others. Besides I hated how Season Three suddenly changed so many things so I'm trying to fix it! I hope you like it.**

**What If?**

He ran a finger along the edge of the well worn photograph and smiled involuntarily as the memory of that long gone day stirred in his mind. Despite the theft of their prototype mini sub he and Katie had managed to build another one in record time for the race. With the help of their friends they had achieved the seemingly impossible. He frowned slightly as he recalled the embarrassment of mechanical failure which left him to limp over the finish line in second place. After all these years he still struggled with failure. A legacy of parents who set high standards and expected nothing but the best every time. Not that either of them were there to witness his success or failure. Too busy. He hadn't seen either of them in years but the impossibly high bar was always there for him to try to climb over.

His eyes had glazed over as his mind vividly recalled that day. He blinked and looked back at the photo.

"_Was I ever that young and naïve?"_

A young boy smiled back at him. Standing with his partner beside their creation. He snorted as he remembered how Katie insisted on calling it a Gazelle. Everybody knew the only proper name was a Stinger and she was soon forced to concede defeat as the rest of the crew refused to call it by any other name. Standing on his other side was the Captain. An arm hung around his shoulder and even now he could feel the man's pride in him. Even when he had failed miserably and let down the whole crew.

Without realising it he reached up and touched his shoulder as though he could make contact. As he slowly pulled his hand away the tears finally began to flow. They hadn't come when he first received the news. He had made it through the funeral dry-eyed and he had wondered at his own callousness that he couldn't summon any emotion. It was a bizarre day and he felt as though he had floated through it in some kind of out-of-body experience. He was shocked at how few of the s_eaQuest_ crew were there. But then it really wasn't surprising after all when he thought about the crazy mess the world was in. Many of them were already dead or missing. Just a few more to add to the tally from Hyperion.

He stood by the window of his hotel room and let the tears fall. He could no longer make out the faces in the photograph but somehow it was still comforting just to have it close. After all it was the last connection he had to the man he once loved like a father. It was a reminder that they had once been close. Before Hyperion had changed everything and everyone.

* * *

**Twenty one years earlier……**

"Come on Lucas. There isn't anything else here worth worrying about. Let's head back for a hot shower."

Lucas smiled sympathetically at his friend as he noted the look of disappointment on Ben's face. No long-lost pirate treasure as he had hoped. They had discovered the cave while diving and at first it had looked like they had stumbled onto something significant. The metal box must have washed in on a high tide and lodged on the rock face. Its age was impossible to guess at but it had obviously been there a very long time.

The eager gleam in Ben's eyes made Lucas laugh and he could already see his friend planning how to spend his millions. It was all he could do to stifle a cheeky comment as Ben pried open the box to find it didn't contain anything more exciting than a bunch of mouldy scrolls and a few brass trinkets. He fished around in the bottom and pulled out a small disc about six inches across. He could have sworn he felt a small static discharge as he picked it up but quickly dismissed it as just his hands being cold and wet. He dropped it back in the box and closed the lid so they could wrap it up in a dive bag and take it back to the _seaQuest._

Hours later Ben had almost completely lost interest in the rusty box and its secrets but Lucas again held the small disc in his hands. As he slowly turned it over and over he wondered what it was supposed to be. Beside him at one of the lab benches Tim was absorbed with the document before him. Tim wore special gloves and gingerly laid the parchment out on the bench, his mind racing as he tried to decipher the strange language before him. He knew he recognised it but he just couldn't get a fix on it. Being fluent in several languages and passably good in dozens more gave him a broad frame of reference but there was something odd about this one.

Tim chewed on his lower lip. It kept nagging at the corner of his mind but he just couldn't place it. Suddenly he jolted upright and stared at Lucas. There was no time to question him before he bolted for the computer terminal Lucas had been using and began to pull up classified files. Lucas itched to ask questions but knew better than to interrupt an inspired train of thought. Tim would fill him in as soon as he could.

"I don't believe it!" Tim breathed, almost whispering to himself.

"What?"

Lucas looked between his friend and the screen before recognition dawned. He was looking at the helmet they had fished off the seabed almost five months ago.

The one that came with a curse and almost killed Captain Bridger and Miguel.

The one that also came with its very own warrior who only showed himself to Commander Ford.

The one from Atlantis!

Professor Obatu had taken it with him to study his ancestry but the warrior's sword was still in Commander Ford's quarters. A reminder that his ancestry also ran all the way back to Atlantis.

Lucas' jaw hung open as he stared at Tim. The writing almost matched. The little, insignificant box contained manuscripts written in something very close to the Atlantean script. Neither of them spoke as the enormity of the find began to sink in but finally O'Neill recovered his senses enough to realise he needed to report it.

"O"Neill to the Bridge."

Ford's voice came back at him in a few seconds.

"Ford here. Aren't you supposed to be asleep Lieutenant? You're on duty in two hours."

Lucas and Tim glanced at the clock above them and realised they had been at it for hours. They had totally lost track of time. O'Neill cleared his throat before continuing.

"Uh Commander, I think we have something here you and the Captain need to see."

"Can you be more specific before I go and wake him up?"

Lucas could hear the thought behind the question. You didn't just wake up the Captain two hours early without good reason.

"Well Sir … I think we've found something more from Atlantis."

It seemed less than five minutes before Ford and Bridger arrived in the lab. Even though the Captain was still in pyjamas he looked wide awake. Tim was right. This was too important to leave for the shift change to report. Not long after that Dr Smith arrived. Nobody had woken her up but she was there nevertheless. Bridger glanced up as she came through the door and motioned her over.

"Wendy. This will interest you too." When she didn't answer he frowned slightly at her expression. "What is it?"

The doctor paused as though she was searching for the right words. Finally she shook her head as if to shake an irritating fly away and looked up to see the others watching her.

"I felt it and had to come and find out what it was. Intense sadness but also a sense of … peace? They seem at odds but somehow go together. I can't explain it yet."

* * *

After several days Tim had managed to decipher a large portion of the parchments and they seemed to be mainly to do with a family's ancestry.

"Sort of like a family tree," he said to Lucas when he had come back in to check on the progress. He pointed out what seemed to be the family surname and references to the passage of time. Large portions were lost to the ravages of time but it didn't stop him from spending every waking moment poring over the documents.

Alongside him Lucas and Dr Smith conducted a detailed analysis of the metal objects in the box. One appeared to be some kind of writing instrument while another could have been a piece of jewellery. The one that intrigued Lucas the most was the disc he had first picked up. It was smooth but tarnished. At first it seemed to be made of bronze but a scan revealed it was made of an unknown alloy. He hadn't felt anything further from it since he first picked it up but Wendy had mentioned the feeling of sadness twice more. It was two days later before Tim came across a reference to the strange disc. He frowned as though he wasn't sure of his own translation but he tried it out anyway. Often speaking the words out aloud helped him to hone them down to the right ones.

Lucas and Wendy listened as he read out the strange text but neither of them could offer any insight or help.

"What was, may not be. What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose."

Wendy let out a shiver as the words came out of Tim's mouth. A sudden chill swept over her and she looked away. Lucas turned the disc over in his hands again but nothing happened. It was still the same tarnished metal disc it had been a moment ago.

"_Brilliant Einstein! What did you expect it to do? Start glowing!"_

Lucas was annoyed at his own childishness and shrugged it off.

Over the next few days Tim finished his translation and concluded the documents were nothing much more than a family history. Based on what had happened last time they had found an Atlantean artefact, Captain Bridger decided to keep the find a secret until they returned to port and he would report it in person to Secretary General McGath then. There seemed no point in starting off the hysteria again. Orders came through calling the _seaQuest _out on assignment and the rusted box was filed away for safekeeping. Lucas decided there was no harm in taking the disc for further study and he had every intention of putting it back before they docked. Somehow though the disc slipped out of his memory and by the time the documents were handed over to the UEO everyone seemed to have forgotten its existence.

Years later when Lucas left the _seaQuest _for the last time – his stint in the Navy finally over, the disc made its way with him, stashed in the meagre box of personal belongings he took with him. By then he had no recollection of where it had come from and he tossed it in without another thought.

* * *

Lucas awoke in the night and tried to shake the feeling that had woken him. It took a few moments to realise he was disorientated because he was in a strange bed. Not that any particular bed felt like his anymore. Since leaving the _seaQuest _almost four years ago he had drifted. Alone in a foreign world where every reference point he had once been anchored to was gone.

It was years since he last saw Ben and his parting words had reminded Lucas they had become strangers. Miguel and Wendy never came back from Hyperion. His parents had written him off as lost and found it impossible to reconnect with a son they had never really understood anyway. Tony died in yet another pointless skirmish just as Brody had gone before him. Their deaths were considered "honourable", whatever comfort that was supposed to bring.

After Hyperion Bridger had gone off in search of his son, only to eventually find that Robert truly was dead this time. The last time Lucas saw him he had aged so much that he barely recognised the once strong and energetic man. Their relationship had been strained since Lucas signed up but it finally fell to pieces completely. Lucas would never know that there is a breaking point for everyone and the Captain had reached his. He had once withdrawn to his island to avoid human contact because it was too painful to lose those he loved. After being coaxed back out into the human race he allowed himself to reconnect again. Only to lose again. More friends, more people under his command, more family. The last Lucas heard he had placed Michael in foster care and disappeared. The only reason they knew about his death and funeral was because someone in the UEO had kept tabs. Lucas suspected it was the Admiral still looking out for his old friend.

He climbed off the bed and walked slowly to the window. It was a clear night and the breeze through the open window was cool on his bare skin. As he stared out at the sea across the car park his mind began to wander. A strange thought kept tugging at the recesses of his mind but he couldn't force it into clarity. Finally he stopped wrestling with it and let the sea breeze wash over him instead. He closed his eyes and breathed in the salty air.

It was hard to escape the ocean as the water levels had risen so much but it always brought a sense of comfort to him. The one constant thing left in his life had been the ocean. The best part of his life had been spent below the waves. He smiled as he thought back to his teenage experiences on _seaQuest. _If only for a brief time he had been happy. Truly happy.

"_Then Hyperion took it all away."_

He frowned as he wished for the millionth time that he could erase that fateful day when Commander Keller had summoned them to the Christmas Tree trench. They had been taken away to fight in a war that was not theirs to fight. And they had paid dearly. Friends lost. Ten years in oblivion and a homecoming to a world they didn't fit in.

_What was, may not be._

He jumped as though someone had spoken in the dark but the thought repeated itself.

_What was, may not be._

He struggled to recall where the words were coming from while knowing there was more. He just needed to relax and let it come. Something about the heart. His breathe caught in his throat and the rest of the words rushed through his head.

_What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose_.

Lucas forced himself to breathe slowly and he repeated the words out aloud.

"What was, may not be. What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose."

He glanced at the bedside clock and knew he couldn't wait until morning. Hastily throwing on his clothes and tossing his few belongings in his bag he almost ran downstairs to check out. His bike was parked near the entrance and he climbed on and gunned the engine, not caring who he woke up. The ride through the dark passed in a blur and his thoughts remained focussed on one thing.

It didn't seem possible to his scientific mind but it was too compelling to ignore the ache in his chest. _Only a full heart may choose_. A heart full of memories? … full of pain? … full of love? Lucas figured he qualified on all three.

Finally he made it home. _Home! _What a laugh. He hadn't had a home in years. This was just somewhere to crash each night. Pushing the bitterness aside he raced into his room and pulled down a box from his closet shelf. The few mementos he had brought with him from the _seaQuest _had stayed in that box since he put them there. He couldn't bring himself to throw them out and yet it was too hard to look in that box.

As he rummaged through it his hand touched something metallic and he felt a slight tingle. Like static electricity. His fingers closed around the disc and he slowly drew it out of the box. He didn't realise he was holding his breath but as he held it up before his face he gasped. It should have been tarnished – as it was when he threw it in the box four years ago. Instead it looked as though someone had polished it to a high sheen. He could see himself reflected in the glossy metal and was surprised to see how old he looked. Much older than his twenty seven years. Or even the thirty seven the calendar said he was. He suddenly felt so very old and weighed down.

As he stared at himself the image began to shimmer and change. He saw himself as a child of four or five. Sitting alone at the long dining table while a nanny brought him his dinner. Suddenly he was dressed for his graduation but as he scanned the rows there was no sign of his parents. Darwin swam into view and Lucas saw himself playing with the dolphin in the moonpool. So young and carefree. Bridger leaned over the tank and stroked Darwin's head before ruffling Lucas' hair. Nobody had ever done that before. Such an everyday familiar gesture and yet it meant so much more. He was accepted and wanted.

The smile quickly faded from his lips as he watched the _seaQuest _being gutted in the depths of the Hyperion ocean. Alone again with Dagwood and Darwin he faced the prospect of having lost everyone else. The joy of being reunited on Earth had quickly soured when he began to understand the world they had returned to.

So many more scenes played through the mirror as he followed on a rollercoaster of emotions. It finally stopped on the cemetery where he had watched Nathan Bridger laid to rest beside his wife.

As the tears began afresh Lucas began to contemplate the words that had compelled him to come back here. The words that Tim O'Neill had translated all those years ago.

_What was, may not be. What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose._

_Only a full heart may choose_.

What if Hyperion had never happened? Or Carol hadn't died? Or Robert had never disappeared? The Captain was always a man of science as well as a military man. He was a decorated officer who had served his country well. His son's disappearance had broken his heart and then the loss of his wife had nearly crushed him. If it was at all possible then Lucas resolved he would gladly spare his friend that pain.

_What was, may not be._

Could he really alter past events? And what would that mean for the present?

_What is, may be lost._

Lucas sat back against the wall and thought about that part of it. If Robert never disappeared then Bridger wouldn't leave the Navy and he wouldn't be on a remote island out of reach of medical help when his wife got sick. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do to prevent Hyperion but it certainly seemed possible he could stop the rest of it from ever happening.

_What is, may be lost. _

Lucas sucked in his breath and realised that all he understood of time travel came from comic books and movies. Because nobody in the scientific community took it seriously – himself included. So why was he thinking about what effects altering the past would have now? He knew he wouldn't cease to exist or anything crazy like that but it seemed most likely he would never get to set foot on the _seaQuest _if he screwed up the original circumstances. The only time in his life he had been truly happy.

He opened his eyes again, and Tim's words echoed around his mind. _What is, may be lost._

As he looked back into the mirror Lucas knew in that moment that he had made his choice. He slowly stood up and wandered outside. The sound of waves crashing on the beach below him drew him down to the water. As always the ocean was a source of peace when his mind was troubled. He carried the mirror to the water's edge and made his choice. His heart was full and he got to choose.

"I choose for the Captain to be happy," he whispered into the darkness.

The scene before him blurred as he saw two young men in uniform running through a ship. One looked familiar. The ship was listing to one side and the floor was off kilter. One tripped and fell down and it was then that Lucas could see the blood. He was bleeding heavily and didn't have the strength to keep going. Lucas reached down and pulled the young officer to his feet while the other one propped him up from the other side.

"Come on Robert, not far to go now," Lucas whispered as the young man beside him wondered who the stranger was and just how he knew his name.

* * *

Nathan Bridger stood above the docking bay and scanned the incoming crowd. There was a new science contingent coming aboard but there was only one he really had any interest in today. A sixteen year old kid was being sent aboard by his father. The boy was supposed to be some kind of genius but apparently there were disciplinary problems at home. The Captain wondered how just how out of control the kid could be if his father thought it would take a military sub to bring him to heel.

As he watched he felt a small hand slip over his on the handrail. He smiled as he looked down into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. In all the years he had known her he had never lost the feeling of drowning when he looked into her eyes.

"Is that him over there?" Carol discreetly pointed out a mop of unruly blonde hair making its way through the crowd. The face below it was trying bravely to look nonchalant but it was obvious to both of them that the kid was terrified.

Bridger smiled at his wife before nodding. "OK Mother Hen. Let's go and say hello to the youngest member of your department shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

**I hadn't planned for this to be anything more than a one shot but your questions and comments got me thinking. I put this up as a sequel that I may add to as inspiration strikes, so feel free to make suggestions. They help push me along in new directions. I have no idea how far it will go beyond this chapter but for the moment I'll list it as "incomplete".**

**Chapter Two**

For a long time Lucas lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. He had his arms wrapped across his chest but he steadfastly refused to allow himself to cry. His bags were still on the floor where he had dumped them hours earlier. Even his precious laptop hadn't even been unpacked. The stress of the day was starting to catch up with him and his eyelids felt heavy. Not that he planned on showing it to anyone but he felt like he had just been thrown in a dungeon.

Oh, sure, his father had made it sound like a grand adventure but he knew that it really came down to money and military contracts. In exchange for the exclusive use of his son's technology the UEO got to feed and clothe him and keep him out of his parents' way while they went on with their lives. Slavery had been abolished a long time ago but it still felt like he had been sold out. A bio/metal tube thousands of feet below the surface was still a dungeon, from which there was no escape.

A knock on the hatch jolted him out of his angry thoughts and he frowned as he wondered who it would be. Another knock and he decided he had better respond before he got into trouble.

"Come in," he called out with more enthusiasm than he felt.

The hatch opened and the Captain's wife stepped into the room. She smiled at him as she held out a tray of food.

"I didn't see you down at the mess and I thought you'd be hungry."

She lifted a plate cover and he caught a whiff of something. He was starving but he didn't want to let her know that. There was no way he wanted to start off his time there with her thinking she had to baby him. It was bad enough being at Stanford with other students who looked down at him. He really didn't want to contemplate life on a military submarine if he was branded on his first day. He slowly sat up and took the tray from her.

"Um, thanks," he mumbled. He looked around for somewhere to put the tray while wishing she would leave him alone. Apparently she didn't read body language very well because she sat down at the desk and looked around the small room. A large tube of water ran along beside the bunk and pipes ran across the ceiling.

"I guess it doesn't look much like a bedroom but it was a bit tricky giving you your own quarters."

"_Great! I'm a special case already!"_

He quickly covered the frown and told her it was fine. He poked at the meal while trying to size up the woman in front of him. Between mouthfuls he tried his best to answer her questions without giving too much detail. He had long ago decided it was always best to keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself because nobody was really interested in them anyway.

"So you must be excited about getting to put your research to work here?" Carol tried again to pry a response from the boy. So far it had been only one or two word answers. "I know _we_ are certainly keen to see what your vocorder can do. Nathan is just about ready to bust at the idea he could actually talk with Darwin."

The mention of that name brought a sudden sense of … of something, but Lucas dismissed it as just déjà vu. It was odd that he had felt the same thing when he first came aboard but he knew it didn't mean anything. He was just tired. He just nodded his head at her comment and she finally got the point that he wanted her to go away.

"Well I'll leave you to get some sleep then and I'll come by for you in the morning. It's a bit confusing finding your way around here at first but you'll get used to it. Good night."

She smiled as she headed for the door with his tray and he gave a half-hearted smile in return. He wondered if she was planning on tucking him into bed _every_ night.

"_God, I hope not!" _

As Carol wandered into her own quarters her husband glanced up from his desk. He noted the look on her face and knew what she was thinking before she even spoke. She had been angry when the UEO first told them that the Wolenczak boy was coming aboard. She called them inhumane and a few other things he was surprised to hear coming out of her mouth. He didn't agree with the Admiral's decision either but didn't have any say in the matter. Besides, if what Bill said about the kid's new technology was true then….

Carol's angry voice cut across his thoughts. "Just _how_ could they have sent a child here? A _child_! When Robert was that age he was still climbing trees, not working for the UEO!"

He quickly stood and walked over to her. She was visibly shaking and he knew how angry she was. Nothing could change the situation but he tried to calm her anyway.

"I know. I guess we just have to keep an eye out for him and make the best of this."

He knew his wife's nature was to take care of everyone within her vicinity and he half smiled as he wondered if Lucas was going to appreciate it or not. Something about the boy struck him as being a bit aloof but then maybe that was just nerves. He felt certain there was much more to this kid than met the eye.

* * *

Lucas awoke long before his alarm went off. He felt as though he hadn't slept but he knew he had because he could recall fragments of dreams. He figured his imagination was on overdrive as he had dreamt about life on the _seaQuest_. A dolphin kept swimming through his dreams but he decided that wasn't unusual since he was here to set up his new vocorder technology and that had been his main focus for eight months. But there had been someone else there too. An older, beautiful woman with red hair. She had smiled at him sadly, and he felt like he should know her.

He got dressed and then sat back on the bunk, trying to decide what to do next. He didn't know where anything was but he didn't like the idea of having to sit and wait for his babysitter to pick him up. Finally curiosity and boredom got the better of him and he decided to go exploring.

As he stepped out into the corridor a few people passed him. They glanced at him with a questioning look but kept going about their business. He wandered along the passageway looking for something that would give him an idea where to go. As he came to a junction he stopped and debated whether to go left or right. Both looked exactly the same but he eventually chose left.

"And just what do we have here? A stowaway?"

Lucas jumped at the voice behind him and turned around slowly. Expecting to see a security officer and wondering how much trouble he was in, he was surprised to see a tall dark-haired man grinning at him. He licked his lips and tried to think what he was supposed to say but all he could manage was, "I was, um …… hungry. I was looking for the Mess."

"Well unless you like sushi you're going the wrong way. That takes you to the bio tanks. Lotsa fish and lobsters and stuff but Dr Bridger will skin you alive if you eat her research subjects. Trust me – I know!"

Lucas fidgeted under the man's gaze and looked up to see he was trying to smother a laugh.

"Now if synthetic bacon and eggs is more to your taste you can come this way with me."

Lucas nodded and tried to smile but something about the man was bothering him. That weird sensation from yesterday was back again.

"My name's Ben, by the way." He stuck out a hand and Lucas reached out to shake it.

"Um, I'm Lucas."

* * *

Nathan stifled a groan as he walked into the mess with Carol beside him. They had been to Lucas' quarters and found he had already left so it seemed most logical he would have made it to the Mess.

"How did he manage to fall into Krieg's clutches so quickly?"

They had noticed Lucas sitting with Ben and a few other crew members. Carol elbowed him in the side and smiled up at him.

"Don't be mean! He's been a good friend to Robert for years and it seems as though he has introduced Lucas to some people already."

Bridger coughed slightly as he thought about how good a "friend" he had been.

"Hmmm. The kind of friend who brings trouble at every turn? Just what a young, impressionable kid needs!"

"Well Robert seems to have survived the experience relatively unscathed." The mischievous look in her eyes made him laugh but he couldn't resist one last dig.

"Except for that black mark on both of their service records!"

"Well I just think admirals don't have any sense of humour. Now behave and come and see how Lucas is doing."

"Yes Ma'am!"

* * *

The labs seemed to have every kind of equipment known to Man and Lucas tried to hide his enthusiasm as he followed along behind Dr Bridger. She was the head of the Science Department and therefore his boss but right now she sounded like a kid who had been let loose in the toy department.

"And over here are all the imaging arrays and beyond that is the … I'm sorry. Am I rushing you?" She looked back at him and wondered what he was making of their lab. He seemed to be dragging his feet but from his resume she knew that he would have known what most of the equipment was already.

"No, I'm just surprised at how much is here. I guess I thought the _seaQuest _was military and this is just …"

"Not quite what you expected?"

"Um, I guess not."

"Well Nathan designed her to be first and foremost a research vessel. The UEO secured private business funding as well so she is military but not without an iron-clad agreement that the _seaQuest_ will always remain a scientific tool. It took quite a bit of arguing but Nathan can be very persuasive when he wants to be."

When Lucas didn't answer she continued on with the tour. He actually knew all about the private funding. That was how he came to be sold to the UEO by his father!

"So, over here is your area."

Lucas could see his boxes had already been brought in but nobody had taken anything out. No self-respecting scientist would dream of interfering with another's research. Carol noticed a smile cross his face briefly and she began to feel hope that he may actually settle in after all. She was worried as so far she hadn't been able to muster much more than a spark of enthusiasm from him. She thought he was probably homesick but would have been horrified if she had known the real reason for his withdrawn attitude. Lucas figured the Captain was alright with the whole kidnapping and slavery bit or else he wouldn't be there.

"I can help you unpack if you like?"

The question hung in the air. Finally he looked into the first box and shook his head.

"I can manage thanks. I know where it all goes."

"And you don't want me messing it up, right?" Carol laughed. "It's alright. I don't like anyone fiddling with my things either."

At least she understood that much. Lucas had lost so much data over the years from older people thinking they knew better and touching his experiments. It was frustrating to have to prove himself over and over and he had expected to have to do the same here. He continued to pull various things out of the box and lay them on the bench and didn't hear as Carol spoke again.

"Lucas? I said I'm going up to check on something and I'll leave you to it. Alright?"

"Uh, yeah, see you."

He hadn't looked up from what he was doing and Carol sighed slightly as she left the room. This was going to be a tough job. Teenagers were hard enough work as it was without bringing a genius IQ into the equation.

* * *

Bridger stood in the doorway and watched the teenager swimming in the moonpool with Darwin. Lucas laughed as the dolphin tossed a plastic ring just out of his reach and Bridger knew Darwin was teasing as his aim was normally deadly accurate. It seemed the only time the boy let down his guard was when he thought nobody was watching and the Captain wondered about why that was. It was obvious he hadn't lived a normal life but there was something else there that he couldn't put his finger on. Since leaving port five weeks ago there had been no contact from either of Lucas' parents and he thought that was very odd. He had tried to contact them to keep them informed of Lucas' welfare but couldn't get a hold of either of them. It seemed as though secretaries ran their lives and screened their calls.

As he realised how much of Robert's life he had missed while at sea he frowned at the ignorance of parents who missed spending time with their children. He sucked in his breath as he realised again how close he had come to losing his son. Many good people had died that day and he thanked God every day that Robert hadn't been one of them. He knew some of the crew were still unaccounted for and he couldn't imagine the anguish of not knowing. Three months of waiting and hoping without any answers would be a parent's worst nightmare.

He was stirred out of his thoughts by a mechanical voice that he recognised as Darwin's way of greeting him. He had been spotted and so he moved over to the side of the tank and reached out to rub the dolphin's melon. He noted that Lucas had quickly put his mask back on. For the hundredth time he wondered what the boy was hiding.

"Hey Kiddo."

He had fallen into the habit of using the name he had called Robert as a child. Lucas hadn't objected although he had seemed somewhat surprised at first. Bridger was still trying to figure the kid out but he had decided that being a parental figure was a better approach than being an authority figure. The boy wasn't military and being the Captain around him wasn't going to have much of an impact. He knew that Carol was having a little more success in getting him to open up but that didn't really surprise him. She worked alongside him every day and had managed to establish a level of credibility with him.

He spotted the vocab recorder sitting on the deck and nodded towards it.

"Getting some more words in?"

Lucas scrambled to grab the device and cover the fact that he had been playing. To the captain he seemed like a child who had been scolded. He hadn't meant anything negative and was disappointed with Lucas' defensive reaction.

"Yeah. We got a whole lot more in today and I was just heading back to the lab to start on the sub routines." He started to climb out of the pool when Darwin tossed another ring at his back. Bridger smiled at the look of indecision on Lucas' face.

"I don't think he's done playing yet. He can be more demanding than a toddler sometimes."

Lucas looked sideways at the captain trying to see if he was being serious or not. When Bridger threw the ring back into the pool Darwin expertly slid underneath it and surfaced in front of him with it looped over his flipper.

"Lucas play?"

Bridger laughed out aloud. "See what happens when you let a dolphin talk? Now he thinks he runs the show!"

Lucas smiled and turned to toss the ring back to his friend. He seemed to relax a little. Just a little, but it was a start.

"You know, I taught Robert to swim off the pier on our island. The dolphins came in most days." He smiled at the memory of his four year old son paddling in circles trying to catch a dolphin. "I think he thought he _was_ a dolphin for a while!"

Lucas smiled and then a wistful look crossed his face. His father had paid someone else to teach him to swim. It was a top class coach, no less. Only the best would do for a Wolenzcak!

"So, how many words have you got in there now?"

"About 240 at last count. It's a slow process trying to get the code to run smoothly but it's getting easier with less errors."

As Lucas focussed his attention on something that he was passionate about Bridger got a glimpse of the real personality he tried so hard to hide. Oh yes, there was a heart in there alright that he suspected matched the IQ.

* * *

After several months Lucas seemed to have settled into the routines of life on a submarine. He was surprised at how easily he had learnt the layout and seldom got lost anymore. The strange sense of déjà vu he had experienced in the first few days had gone away, much to his relief as it was beginning to unnerve him.

The vocorder project was working out even better than he had hoped and he and Darwin had become inseparable. The captain even joked about how Lucas had stolen his dolphin. Ben had introduced him to some more of the crew and he was beginning to make connections with several of them. He still kept to himself a fair bit but he was enjoying his time working alongside Carol. Her knowledge of marine biology was extensive and his curiosity eventually got the better of him.

He was in the lab one afternoon with Carol processing some data on their latest experiment. He had his back to the door when a voice from behind him made Lucas whirl around.

"I knew I'd find you in here."

That feeling again! It was back to annoy him but before he could say anything Carol had run across the room and embraced the stranger.

"Robbie! What are you doing here?"

The excitement in her voice made him laugh but he quickly pulled up with a grimace on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just the ribs still hurt a bit. The doc said I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm a big boy!" He grinned at her.

"Well I don't care how big you get, it's a mother's job to worry! And you gave us good reason to be worried…" Her voice trailed away as she looked at her son. The three days he was unaccounted for had been the longest three days of her life. The _seaQuest _had been too far away to join the search teams and they had been left to wait and imagine the worst.

"I had a couple of days leave and decided I'd get a shuttle out and surprise you."

"Does your father know you're here?"

"Not yet. I'm heading up to the bridge in a minute."

Lucas hadn't moved since the stranger had entered the room. He felt as though he had just stepped off a carnival ride. The sense of disorientation was growing and he leaned back against the bench to steady himself. He heard someone speaking but couldn't focus on the words.

Carol hurried over to the boy and waved her hand in front of his face. "Lucas! Are you alright?"

His face had drained of colour for no apparent reason and it seemed as though he couldn't hear her. Suddenly he snapped to attention and looked bewildered to see two faces right in front of him. Two very concerned faces.

"Lucas," she began again gently, "are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm just tired. I didn't sleep very well last night." He had no idea what had just happened but embarrassment helped him quickly find an excuse for whatever it was.

As the stranger reached out a hand to steady him Lucas shrank back from him. The man's shirtfront was soaked in blood and Lucas could smell smoke in his nostrils.

"You! I saw…".

His breath was coming in ragged bursts and Carol had already called for a medteam before he passed out.

* * *

_Something was wrong with the floor. As he ran he was having trouble staying upright. Finally he realised it wasn't level because the ship he was on was listing badly. Smoke filled the air and a klaxon sounded a warning in the distance. The young man beside him was struggling to stay on his feet and Lucas tightened his grip around his waist. _

"_Come on Robert, not far to go now." _

_He wondered just how much blood a person could lose before it was too much._

The sounds reminded him of a badly tuned radio sending out intermittent, garbled noise. As he strained to hear, the voices finally came into focus. Someone had tuned the radio. In the darkness he could hear them talking. Worried tones and hushed questions. Finally he struggled to open his eyes and was surprised to see he was lying on a bed in medbay. He began to sit up but the pounding in his head made him quickly abandon that idea. A gentle hand on his shoulder just reinforced it.

"Lie still. Your blood pressure is still up and I don't want you to pass out again."

Lucas looked up to see Dr Smith hovering over him.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"Well for some reason I scared you and you keeled over."

That voice came from out of his line of sight but he knew it anyway. The stranger from before stepped into view and Lucas just stared at him.

"I … I know you …… you were bleeding. I _know _you!" Lucas struggled to reign in the surge of images running through his mind. He was oblivious to the stares he was getting from the others as he tried to work out what going on. "You were on the ship. Smoke everywhere …… and that noise!"

The stranger was staring back at him with an odd expression.

"The klaxon …… I know you too!" he whispered. He shook his head slowly before continuing on. "This isn't possible. I don't know what's happening here but that is _not_ possible!" Robert's voice was rising as he grew more agitated.

The others were eyeing him with concern when Carol suggested he sit down. He was too wound up to sit down and he shrugged off her hand on his arm.

"No. I'm fine." He hadn't taken his eyes off Lucas. "Tell me what you saw."

Wendy had a hand on Lucas' shoulder and she closed her eyes as he spoke.

"The floor was on a slope. Smoke. Lots of smoke and that siren. What did you call it? A klaxon?"

Robert nodded.

"The klaxon was deafening. I saw you running along with another man and you fell down. I helped you get up and we started moving again. Eventually we made it to the deck …… and jumped overboard …… and that's all I remember."

Lucas frowned as he recalled the decision to jump. He had forgotten it but suddenly the memory had come back to him as he talked.

The Captain moved to intervene between them. The whole story was preposterous and he was angry that the boy seemed to be manipulating his son. Obviously he hadn't been on that ship but he had no idea how Lucas knew about Robert's experience. Suddenly he realised that Krieg must have told him.

Robert turned to face his father and shook his head. The older Bridger stopped and looked at his son's ashen face, uncertain what to do next. Robert hadn't told them anything more than their ship had been torpedoed and he had been thrown over a railing. With several broken ribs and severe shrapnel wounds it was a wonder he had made it up three decks before the ship sank. Now he was supposed to believe this sixteen year old had been on board and saved his son's life!

Robert turned back to Lucas and licked his lips nervously before asking, "What did you say to me before we jumped?"

Lucas closed his eyes, trying to force the ghost of a memory that he shouldn't have. Finally a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"I said, "Your dad taught you to swim off the pier with the dolphins. Just think of this as jumping off the pier.""

Nobody spoke immediately but at the last revelation Robert slumped into a chair. His mind was struggling to process what he was hearing but somehow, as bizarre as it sounded, he knew it was true.

"You were …… different. Older. I don't know how but it was you. I know it! When we got picked up I couldn't find you. I thought you drowned. Morgan told me I had imagined you and there hadn't been anybody else there. I thought it was the blood loss making me a little crazy but …… my God! You're real …… and you're here!"

Suddenly the BP alarm began to sound and Wendy quickly moved to check it.

"OK, that's enough questions for now. My patient needs to rest. We can finish this later."

Nobody looked as though they were going to move so she tried again.

"I _said_, he needs to rest. This mystery will still be here and we can deal with it later. For now... _shoo!_"

Reluctantly the family moved out into a waiting area and not long after the doctor followed them out. She had no explanations for their questions but she knew with absolute conviction that Lucas was telling the truth. The Captain walked over to her as she walked through the door, a thousand questions burning in his mind.

"Wendy. Just what the hell was all that about?" he demanded to know.

She didn't answer immediately but looked over at Robert instead. He looked shaken but she could sense his certainty as well. He knew, just as she did, that somehow Lucas had been aboard that ship.

"I don't usually scan people without their permission but his emotions were very easy to read. He was a little disorientated at first but once he started to remember I could see what he was describing. Captain, I can't explain how but somehow an older version of Lucas was aboard that ship. It was just as he told us."

The Captain still looked skeptical but seeing as Robert was nodding at him too he was forced to concede _something_ had happened.

"An older version? How much older?"

"Maybe thirty years old?" Robert looked over at Wendy who nodded agreement.

"Captain, I think, maybe once Lucas is alright we could look at perhaps a mind probe under hypnosis. If he agrees to it. It may be a way to work out what is going on."

Bridger just nodded at her. There had to be answers and that seemed the only way to get to them.

* * *

Lucas had agreed to the hypnosis, mainly because he needed answers for himself. He had no explanation for his memories and although he wouldn't admit it, he was frightened. Wendy eased him into a state of relaxation and gently began to probe for answers. She ran back over the events on the ship and he confirmed the details again as he relived them in his mind.

"How old are you?"

"Thirty seven."

"How did you get aboard the ship?"

Lucas hesitated before finally answering. "I don't know."

Wendy knew he wasn't avoiding the question. He genuinely didn't know. She decided to try another line of attack.

"Why did you go to help Robert?"

"To help the Captain."

In the next room Carol squeezed her husband's hand as they watched the story playing out before them. Robert was unable to sit still and was pacing the floor behind them. Up until that point it had been about him but the mention of his father made him stop.

"Why did the Captain need help?"

"He was alone."

"Alone? Where was his family?"

"Dead."

Wendy paused as the significance of his answer struck her. In the next room the Captain wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder as an icy shudder hit him.

"What happened to them?"

"Robert disappeared at sea and Captain Bridger left the navy and went back to his island. Carol got sick there. He couldn't get her to a doctor in time and she died."

Wendy stopped again as she tried to regain her composure. The depth of emotion coming at her was overwhelming. Despite the obvious question of how all this was possible, she knew with absolute certainty that somehow, it was true. There was just one last question to ask.

"Why would all this matter to you? Why would you care what happened to them?"

"He was my friend."

Four simple words to explain the inexplicable.

As Wendy slowly brought Lucas back to full awareness she was bombarded with images and emotions from his subconscious. The entire Bridger family had entered the room and as Lucas opened his eyes Carol rushed over to hug him. No words were going to cover what needed to be said but for right now, nobody could think of any words anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**OK this story has kind of morphed since I started it. It was only supposed to be a single chapter and then some of you gave me some more ideas and now this third instalment has turned up. My apologies if it isn't running like a normal chaptered story but it's just that it keeps evolving.**

**I decided I needed to write each chapter with a finishing point in case I don't add anything further, while still leaving it open if I get any more inspiration. I hate reading unfinished fics that stop abruptly so I hope that makes sense. I have one more idea about Chatton in the pipeline but let me know if you've got any others.**

**Chapter 3**

Wendy sagged back against the chair and tried to calm her own runaway emotions. As a doctor she normally managed to keep herself professionally distanced from her patient but this situation was anything but normal. The surge of images was like a flood and threatened to overwhelm her. As she glanced back at Lucas the overriding thing she was sensing from him was apprehension and confusion.

He had no idea why Carol was hugging him so tightly. Tears streamed down her face and she was shaking. Lucas tried gently to disentangle himself from her arms. As he looked from one face to another he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.

"What's going on?" he finally managed to ask.

Wendy leaned over and touched his arm. A soothing sensation washed over him but it did nothing to answer his question. Obviously something significant had happened but he was totally in the dark.

"I _said_, what's going on?" he asked again, more forcefully this time. Carol had loosened her hold on him but she still held his hands and the look on her face was beginning to unnerve him.

The others looked at each other, struggling to find a way to explain what they had just witnessed. The Captain was the first one to speak.

"I think the best way to explain may be for you to watch the footage we recorded." He shook his head slightly as though he still couldn't believe what he had heard himself. Wendy and Robert had already moved over to the view screen and it wasn't long before the large screen was filled with the image of Lucas.

He sat and stared as he watched the scene replay before him. Completely oblivious to those around him, he didn't react as Carol wrapped her arm around his shoulder again. As the screen finally went black he continued to stare at it, lost in thought. Eventually he realised someone was speaking to him but he couldn't make his thoughts come into line with what he wanted to say.

Wendy stood in front of him and gently rubbed his arm. "I think maybe you need to rest. You are exhausted and you need time to process all of this." She didn't voice her concerns over his ability to cope with such overwhelming information but for now the best she could do was get him to sleep.

Lucas just nodded wearily and began to stand up. "I'm going to my quarters to … ". He didn't get to finish the sentence before his knees buckled under him. Bridger grabbed him from behind and eased him back down. Wendy shook her head at him.

"I think Medbay would be a better option. Just for tonight," she hastily added as she could see him getting ready to object.

Seeing he was outnumbered and too tired to fight, Lucas reluctantly agreed and soon found himself back in Medbay. He tried to slow the thoughts whirling around in his head but it was useless. Images, mostly faces flashed through in rapid fire sequence. Some of them he recognised but others were total strangers. The odd part was he seemed connected to them all. The really confusing part was the emotions that came with the images. Lucas had long ago learned to bury emotions but these people seemed to provoke a response in him. Mentally locked up in the flow of images, Lucas began to respond to them. He was unaware he was speaking out aloud as he got swept along. Some of the names began to filter through from his subconscious and he stared at the image of a beautiful older redheaded woman. Something about her pulled at his mind. He knew her name but it wouldn't come. He felt strangely sad when he thought of her. Another face floated past, grinning cheekily at him.

"_Hey Luke."_ He heard the words echo in his head and responded without thinking.

"Don't call me Luke!"

Seconds later he felt a gentle hand on his arm as Wendy shook him.

"Huh?"

"You said, "Don't call me Luke". Who were you talking to?"

"Tony. You know he does it just to annoy me."

The words were out before he stopped to think. The look on the doctor's face made him stop and look around. He was in Medbay and there was no sign of Tony. Whoever Tony was. A feeling of panic began to rise in his chest as he tried desperately to separate what was real and what was imagined. Before he knew it Wendy had gently administered a sedative and he felt the room slipping away.

"_Who the hell is Tony?"_

The Captain stepped over to the bed and looked at the sleeping teenager. His face seemed a little more relaxed.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked quietly.

"His mind is overloaded and this way he can rest."

"So, what do we do from here?"

"To be honest … I have no idea. This is beyond anything I've ever dealt with. I have some friends at Chatton who may be able to …"

"No!"

Bridger even surprised himself with the abruptness of his answer but there was no way he was sending Lucas to Chatton. His gut instinct told him it was a bad idea but he could see he had to explain his way out of it. After all, Dr Smith had studied at Chatton.

"I'm sorry Doctor. I just meant that I don't want him to become a lab rat. I think he needs time … we all need time to get this straight before anyone else starts poking around in his head. I mean, we've uncovered something mind blowing here and I know there are lots of people who would be interested in it for their own agendas. Of course they'd need to get to the bottom of how he did it and there are some whose methods wouldn't be … well … patient."

Wendy nodded thoughtfully. He was right but she was just trying to find how to help Lucas and she felt way out of her depth.

"Alright. He didn't know himself how he did it so for now I guess we let Lucas lead us. When he wakes up tomorrow we'll work out how to deal with tomorrow."

As she looked around at the family she could see the strain of the day beginning to take its toll on them too. Lucas had been the obvious focus of their attention but she knew they needed time to process all of this as well.

"Captain … I think maybe your family needs some time together. You have a lot to talk through."

Robert laughed. "That's the understatement of the year Doctor!"

"I'm here if you need me."

Wendy smiled reassuringly as the family slowly moved towards the door. Carol looked back towards Lucas.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," the doctor assured her with far more confidence than she felt.

* * *

"So, there's no room for doubt as far as you are concerned?"

"Dad, I know what happened." Robert slowly paced the length of his parents' cabin before turning back to face them. "Nobody, not even Morgan could have heard what he said about the dolphins. Lucas described everything accurately. He _knew_ Dad. He _knew_!"

Nathan watched his son's face as he spoke then slowly turned to his wife.

"What do you think?"

"I believe him. If it's a lie then it's the most elaborate lie I've ever heard. Surely the hypnosis would have revealed a deception but it just confirmed his story."

The Captain nodded at her before turning back to his desk. This same conversation had gone round in circles for most of the night. Finally they had all headed off to bed, without any real answers. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before heading down to Medbay. He had relied on his gut instinct for most of his career and it had rarely failed him. This time he wasn't sure if it was his head or his heart he was listening to.

"OK. Let's go and see if Lucas got any more sleep than we did last night." He smiled at his wife and son, knowing full well that neither of them had slept either.

As they entered Medbay they could see Lucas sitting up in bed with a breakfast tray in front of him. By the look of it he wasn't too interested in the food on it but Dr Smith was hovering over him, making sure he ate at least some of it.

"Hey Kiddo." Nathan was surprised at how easily he slipped into using that name but it just seemed right. "Sleep well?"

Lucas looked up and half smiled. "Well when someone sticks a needle in you when you aren't looking, you don't have much of a choice."

Wendy ignored the comment and continued writing something on Lucas' chart.

The Captain cleared his throat and tried to decide how he was going to ask the questions he needed to ask without scaring Lucas.

"Lucas, we need to … we need to decide what we do next."

"Do? What do you want to _do_?" he asked warily. Suddenly he had no interest in the food in front of him and a sense of panic began to rise again.

"It's alright Lucas," Carol gently touched his arm. "We want to help you deal with what's happened to you."

He looked at her closely before deciding she was being genuine. Since waking up nearly two hours earlier he had been wondering what they were going to do. Did they believe him? Would he be sent away as a fraud? Would someone try to find out how he managed to come back? If so, how? That last question scared him the most. He barely knew these people and he didn't want to think what the UEO would do when they found out. The bottom line was he didn't belong there. But just where did he belong? Or more to the point, _when_?

"So you believe me then?" He looked at each face, trying to gauge what they were thinking.

Robert spoke first. "Yes Lucas, we believe you. I don't know how, but I do know it's true."

The others nodded confirmation and Lucas felt a huge weight lift off him. He really didn't know what he would do if they had decided he was faking it.

Carol sat down on the bed beside him and smiled encouragingly. "I'm a scientist and that means being open to possibilities. I'd love to know how you came back but for right now I'm just grateful that you did."

The Captain moved over behind his wife and nodded. The alternative was just too awful to contemplate.

Lucas shifted in the bed, uncomfortable under the close scrutiny.

"Can I get out of here soon?" He looked hopefully at the doctor who was still holding his medical chart.

"I don't see why not but you will still need to go slowly for a while." She paused and looked him as though she had something else to say. As if expecting her to change her mind Lucas pulled back the sheet and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Finally Wendy asked the question they had all been avoiding. "Lucas, has anything else come back to you?"

He looked uncomfortable but eventually answered. "I feel like I have a vid-program running through my head. Lots of faces but it's kind of … just bits and pieces … fragments really."

As he spoke his eyes seemed to lose focus and he wandered off with his thoughts. Eventually he smiled at a prominent memory. "Darwin! I remember Darwin." He climbed off the bed and walked over closer to the Captain.

"You were angry with the admiral for kidnapping your dolphin." As Lucas looked up at the Captain he frowned at his own words. "That was the day I first met you."

Before Bridger could respond Lucas had turned away and rubbed at his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut as if to block out the images but it didn't stop.

"How am I supposed to separate this stuff?" he cried as he began to pace back and forth. "I mean, I have memories of things that haven't happened. That _won't_ happen."

Carol reached out to calm him. "Lucas, I've been thinking about this since yesterday and I don't pretend to have any answers for _how_ this happened but I think I know _why_ it happened." He stopped pacing and stared at her.

"You said you were thirty seven. Years since you first met Nathan. He would have retired by then and yet you were still close to him. I can only guess at your relationship but it seems to me that you wouldn't have given up your own life and future if you didn't have a deep connection to my husband. There's no reason to think that won't happen again. Maybe things will be different but fundamentally they can still be the same. Does that make sense?"

Lucas slowly nodded at her. "I guess so. It's just that … I don't want to be …" He shook his head in frustration, trying to find the words to explain.

Wendy had moved over while he was talking. "You want to be treated as yourself, not a future thirty-seven year old?"

"Exactly! You're all looking at me differently now. Because of something that I haven't even done yet. Won't do now because I won't need to but ….argghh! I feel like my head is going to explode!"

The Captain had moved over to stand in front of the distressed teenager. "Maybe you need some time back at home with your family so you can ..."

"You want me to leave?"

Carol rushed over to his side. "Of course not. It's just that families need to be together during difficulties and we thought you would want to see your parents."

"Family visits weren't written into the contract," he said bitterly without thinking what he was saying. He looked away in embarrassment as he realised his slip up.

Bridger reached out and gently turned him back to face them. "You think you're here because of a _contract_? Like we _paid_ for you?" The thought made him feel sick but it would certainly explain Lucas' reluctance to let down his guard. The poor kid thought he had been sold out! No wonder he'd been holding back.

When Lucas refused to answer he tried again. "Lucas, I don't know what impression you have but we were told by the UEO that you _wanted_ to continue your research and this was the best place to do it. I had no idea you were here against your wishes."

An uncomfortable silence descended on the group. Lucas had never liked being under scrutiny and this whole scenario was showing just how unnerved he was. Finally Robert managed to break the mood.

"Well I dunno about you but I always find ice-cream helps me think clearer. I heard a rumour that Ben got hold of some pecan caramel ice-cream on the last supply shuttle. Knowing him he's probably sold it off to the highest bidder already but I'd like to try and find some before I have to head back to base."

He smiled at Lucas before asking, "Wanna come raid his quarters with me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys rock! Thankyou so much for your reviews and ideas. The old brain has been ticking over and this story just keeps rolling along. I know it's a weird format but that's how it's coming out, sorry.**

**Chapter 4**

"OK, I give up. Just what does this kid have that makes you so interested in him?" Ben leaned back against the wall above his bunk and looked sideways at his friend.

"I'm just asking you to keep an eye on him. Please, just do me a favour will ya?"

Ben sighed as though this favour was going to cost him enormously and then broke out a huge grin.

"Well when you ask so nicely, how could I refuse? It's just not like you to be so secretive Bobby. Come on … what gives?"

Robert rolled his eyes and almost regretted asking Ben at all. He couldn't say anything further as Lucas had expressly asked for privacy and besides, he really didn't have the energy to go into an explanation just yet. He just knew that Lucas needed watching and Ben was an obvious choice to ask. He had already made friends with the teenager and the two of them seemed to be getting along alright so far.

"It's just gotta be weird for a sixteen year old to be stuck here and I guess he struck me as being lonely. In case you hadn't noticed there aren't any other teenagers around and you're the closest thing to one here so I figured I'd ask you!"

He ducked as Ben threw a pillow at his head and they both burst out laughing. It was like old times when they had shared a room on the base. The two seemed at odds but had somehow become tight friends.

Robert stood up and stretched. "Well I'd better get moving or I'll miss the transport shuttle. See you next shore leave maybe?"

"Yeah sure. Maybe by then your ribs will be OK and you'll be ready for some fun!" Ben's eyes glinted with mischief and Robert just laughed as he looked back.

* * *

Lucas stared at the screen and tried to absorb the information in front of him. Some of the faces he kept seeing had finally revealed their names to him but many were still a mystery. Most still didn't have a last name and it was impossible to run a trace without one. Eventually however the name Piccolo had fallen into his memory one day while swimming with Darwin. Something about the moonpool had jogged his memory but he couldn't work out what it was.

He raced back to his quarters and began to run a search on the name Anthony Piccolo. It was astonishing just how many Anthony Piccolos there are in the world and it was days before he dragged up an old newspaper article with a photo. It had been taken while Tony was about seventeen but there was no mistaking it was him. Longer hair maybe but the same cheeky grin.

With a solid reference point the search got a whole lot easier. Eventually Lucas found enlistment records but then he hit a snag. Tony had gone to prison and those files were sealed. Eventually after wading through various encryption codes he managed to get through. He stopped in his tracks as he read the end of the file. Anthony Piccolo was _deceased_. The medical file was surprisingly brief but apparently he had drowned. Lucas briefly wondered just how somehow drowned inside a prison before another question struck him. If his memories of Tony were different then what part did he play in Tony's death? By altering the past for Bridger had he messed up other people's lives?

He grabbed the wastepaper basket, which was the nearest thing he could find and vomited violently into it. When he was done he slowly sat up and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He realised that he had been avoiding this question for the last two months while all the while trying to find information on those he remembered. Somehow he had just rationalised it away that other people had been affected. Never had he allowed himself to think any of them may have been harmed or died in the alternate timeline. And yet there it was in black and white, staring him in the face.

"I killed him!" he whispered in shock. "God! What else did I do?"

Lucas slammed the laptop shut and sagged back in the chair. How many more had suffered a different fate because of him? The beautiful redheaded woman had been a constant in his dreams and he knew she was a doctor. What had happened to her? Somehow he couldn't bear the thought that she too was dead. His stomach clenched in a knot but there was nothing left to come up. Maybe looking them up wasn't such a great idea after all.

As Lucas sat staring into space a voice called over the PAL.

"Lucas, we need you in the science lab."

When he didn't answer Tim tried again. "Lucas? Can you hear me?"

"Uh yeah Tim. Sorry, what?"

"I said, we need you in the science lab."

"On my way."

He struggled to his feet and headed out the door towards the science lab. Along the way he stopped by the mess to grab a drink and tried to wash the taste of bile out of his mouth. Nobody noticed anything was amiss as he walked into the lab as their attention was focused on something Commander Ford held in his hands. Ford had his back to Lucas and was talking intently with the Comm officer.

"Could it be Greek?"

He looked as though he was trying to contain his excitement to a professional level but as Lucas saw the object he quickly understood why. Ford slowly turned a golden helmet over in his hands with an almost reverent awe. It was obviously old but just how old was anybody's guess. Tim had been examining it and slowly shook his head.

"No Sir, it's not Greek. It looks Greek, but it's not Greek. It's not Egyptian or Phonecian, either. You know, Ortiz knows about mythology, he might be able to help.

Captain Bridger looked up at Lucas.

"Lucas. Good, we need your help with this. It was picked up this morning off the ocean floor along with several other items. We are still looking to see if there is anything more down there. Carol and Tim will need some tech support with investigating its origins and they tell me you are the fastest and most thorough."

Lucas smiled while trying to shake off the awful truth he had just discovered about Tony. This was not the time to fall apart and maybe getting into a project would be enough to keep his mind occupied for a while.

As he watched the Captain eased the helmet onto his head and stood up a little straighter.

"Ow!"

He quickly pulled it off again and rubbed the top of his head. He looked inside the helmet but couldn't see any sign of anything sharp. He frowned slightly as he placed it back on the bench. Carol smiled cheekily at him.

"Maybe your head is bigger than the skull in Medlab."

The skull that had been inside the helmet was down in Medlab being examined by Dr Smith. Tim picked the helmet back up and began running a finger over the markings on the outside.

"There it is."

"What?" Carol glanced over at where he was pointing.

"Repetition. The starting point for deciphering whatever language this."

As he talked Lucas was scanning the other objects lying on the bench. They all looked as though they had lain untouched for centuries but didn't show any sign of deterioration. There was a large flat sword with an ornately engraved handle. There was something that appeared to be a piece of jewellery and another item that could have been some sort of writing instrument. The last one was a small disc, about six inches across which didn't have any immediately obvious purpose.

He looked up in surprise as he realised the Captain and Commander Ford were leaving. He hadn't been listening to the conversation but suddenly the word "Atlantis" had broken through his thoughts. Obviously he hadn't heard right as Atlantis was a myth. But then he heard the Captain issue an order to the helm.

"Set a course for the Hatteras Abyssal Plain."

"Aye Sir." Katie's voice came back quickly.

Commander Ford looked surprised at the order.

"Sir, that's 2000 miles away."

"I know that Jonathan but if the lieutenant is right every fortune hunter on the planet will be here within hours. We need to conceal our coordinates too."

Lucas watched as the two of them walked out and slowly turned back to Tim and the doctor. Something was nagging at his mind but he quickly dismissed it as his recent discovery of Tony's fate. There was a job to be done and he quickly logged on to the terminal nearest him and got to work. He pushed the unease aside and concentrated on what he needed to do.

* * *

Wendy's voice came through on the commlink.

'The radio carbon testing is complete and the skull comes from around 10,000 BC."

Tim whistled under his breath while Carol just nodded slowly. The Captains' voice came back over the comm.

"This is now a classified event. Don't let anyone in there without my say so. I'll be contacting the Secretary General but keep going on the translation Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir."

Wendy looked up at the Captain in surprise.

"Why is this now classified?"

"Because as soon as I let the UEO know that we have may have proof of the existence of Atlantis, this whole thing will turn into a political three ring circus. A discovery like this belongs to history, to mankind, not politicians."

"Well if we really have found proof of Atlantis then that will change the history books."

"Well before we get to do that I need to contact McGath. I'll be back shortly. In the meantime keep me apprised of anything new."

Bridger headed out to his quarters and soon had the Secretary General on a secure transmission.

* * *

Ortiz turned the helmet over slowly in his hands and was just about to put it on when Lucas grabbed his arm.

"Don't!"

Slightly irritated, Ortiz shook his hand away.

"Why not?"

Lucas couldn't explain the sudden urge to stop Miguel from putting the helmet on.

"Um the Captain put it on before and there was something sharp inside it."

Miguel ran his hand around the inside of the helmet and looked questioningly at the others.

"There's nothing sharp in here."

Tim looked up and frowned.

"Stop wasting time and show me that other side again."

Miguel reluctantly handed the helmet to O'Neill while looking at Lucas. The kid shifted uncomfortably under his look but he quickly dismissed it. There was something definitely odd about Lucas but most of the crew had decided it was just a part of being a certified genius. There had to be some odd tendencies in anyone who had an IQ the equivalent of three average people. For the most part he was quite likeable and they had learned to ignore his strange moments of drifting off.

Miguel shrugged and went back to scanning the images on the computer screen. He had been fascinated with Atlantis for as long as he could remember and had read everything he could get his hands on. Ford had sent him to the lab to help with the translation process.

* * *

Wendy had her head down at a microscope looking at a sample when the Captain entered Medbay. She heard him come in and sensed who it was but she needed to clarify the image before looking up. Something about him disturbed her though and she glanced up. A look of frustration crossed his face as he snapped at her.

"What's taking so long Doctor?"

"Well these things take time. I can't hurry the process."

She knew that he knew that and found the question very odd. She wouldn't scan anyone without their permission but there was definitely something strange about his demeanor. Maybe the call with McGath hadn't gone well.

"Then I'm going down to the lab to see if they work any faster there!"

Before she could respond he had turned and stomped out of the room. With her mouth open, ready to say something in her defence, she realised it was the first time she had ever felt the need to defend herself to him.

* * *

"Tukalian! I got a name. Tukalian." Tim looked up excitedly. Carol smiled back at him as she glanced up from behind Lucas. They had been going over some text he had pulled up but they hadn't been making much progress.

" Did you say Tukalian?" Ortiz asked.

"Yeah, why?"

'Because in Greek mythology Tukalian built a boat to survive the flood sent by Zeus. He was kinda their version of Noah."

"Flood?" Tim rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Rain. That's it! That's the word."

"What word?"

"The one I was stuck on. You see some of these symbols are just letters and some of them are hieroglyphs. That's a symbol that represents a whole word. I was stuck on rain. So, this bit here says: Five days of rain. If the stars return I will mark my helmet to guide me home, and curse the living flesh of the heathen who follows the path to rob our graves."

Lucas stared at Tim as another memory hit him. The curse! The helmet was cursed and the Captain and Miguel were both affected by it. Only this time around he'd stopped Miguel from putting it on. So why hadn't he stopped the Captain too?

Carol was looking at him with a worried face but waited for him to speak. The others had caught her gaze and now all three of them were watching Lucas. O'Neill and Ortiz weren't sure what they were watching him for but obviously the doctor was expecting something from him. At last he looked up at her.

"Where's the Captain?" he asked in a quiet tone. She didn't like the sound of his voice but didn't get to answer before Bridger walked into the room. He looked angry and immediately marched up to Lucas.

"Why aren't you in uniform?"

"I'm a civilian, Captain." This conversation already sounded eerily familiar.

"If you're gonna be on my boat you better be in uniform!"

"Nathan! What's gotten into you?" Carol demanded.

"How many times do I have to tell you to address me properly when we are in front of my crew?" He glared at her while they all stared back at him. This wasn't the Nathan Bridger they knew. He would never use that tone of voice with his wife. She began to speak when he cut her off.

"_What_?"

He turned back to the bench and picked up the sword. Carol hesitantly moved closer to him and watched warily as he lifted the sword up in front of his face. His eyes lost focus as he stared at the blade. Suddenly without warning he swung the weapon to one side and then quickly turned aside. He thrust it towards his wife and she shrunk back from him in horror.

"Captain!" Miguel grabbed at his arm before he realised what he had done. The frenzied look on the Captain's face shocked him as he swung the sharp blade in his direction. He stepped backwards as Bridger slowly swung the sword across in front of his face. Tim was moving silently up behind him when the captain suddenly stopped and clutched at his head. The blade dropped slightly but Ortiz wasn't out of range yet. Carol slowly stepped forward.

"Nathan … please … drop the sword!"

She pleaded with him as he stepped sideways and tried to swing the weapon again. Before he could do any damage O'Neill had tackled him from behind and the sword clattered to the floor. Ortiz kicked it out of reach and turned back to the Captain just in time to see him collapse on the floor. Carol was on the floor trying to rouse him while Tim called Medbay.

Lucas watched the scene before him as though he was watching a movie. He finally let out a breath as the Captain hit the floor but somehow this all seemed wrong. He shook his head to dislodge the strange thoughts and quickly knelt down beside Carol.

* * *

Miguel paced up and down outside the Medbay while Tim and Lucas sat uncomfortably, waiting for news. It seemed like forever since Doctor Smith had chased them out of the room and Carol hadn't emerged to tell them anything. Commander Ford came rushing through but he hadn't come back to relieve their worry either.

"You said there was a curse."

Tim looked up at Miguel's question and just nodded.

"You think there's anything to it?"

'Well I hope not but something is very definitely wrong with Bridger and the timing seems a little co-incidental."

Neither of them asked Lucas what he thought and he didn't volunteer any information. He was lost in thought and trying desperately to pull up the memories that seemed stuck in his subconscious. He knew that this scenario was wrong but then Tony Piccolo shouldn't be dead either. He struggled to breathe as he realised he may have caused this too. Had he saved Robert and Carol only to kill Tony and the Captain?

**A/N Don't stress – I won't leave you hanging too long as the next bit is kinda done but I just can't decide on something so I'll put it up asap.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As Lucas sat staring at the floor he didn't hear footsteps approaching him until Doctor Bridger and Commander Ford stood directly in front of him. He looked up at her anxious face and swallowed hard. He realised what she was expecting but he didn't know what to tell her. As hard as he was trying, he was drawing a blank.

"Lucas, what's wrong with him?"

Tim and Miguel looked at each other in surprise. Why was Carol asking Lucas what was wrong with the Captain? What could he possibly know about the Captain's bizarre behaviour? When he didn't answer she tried again.

"Lucas, _please_! You have to know something. Anything you can tell us will help. _Please_."

Ford looked just as surprised as Ortiz and O'Neill by her questions but said nothing. He looked at Lucas waiting for an answer.

"All I remember is last time it was Miguel as well." His face creased in concentration. "And Commander Ford kept seeing a warrior."

Ortiz frowned at the mention of his name. Last time _what_? What was Lucas talking about?

Ford stared at the teenager in shock. How did he know about the apparition he had seen twice already? He hadn't told anybody about it for fear of being relieved of duty.

Carol crouched down in front of the teenager. "Please Lucas, think! Nathan is deteriorating rapidly and Doctor Smith says we may be too far for a medvac to reach us in time. You have to know what's going on." There was an edge of panic to her voice and Ford placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Doctor, I hardly think Lucas knows anything about medical treatments and … "

Carol rounded on him before he could finish.

"He _knows_ what's wrong! He just has to remember."

She turned back to Lucas and pulled him by the hand.

"Come on. Maybe if you see him something will come back."

The three men stood back as Doctor Bridger dragged the boy into Medbay. Tim looked at the commander with a questioning face but Ford just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know anything more than you do! But something definitely doesn't add up here."

As Lucas entered Medbay he was greeted by the sight of Captain Bridger lying on a bed, convulsing violently. The memory of Tony's medical file sprang to mind and he briefly wondered if he was going to cause another death. Doctor Smith was administering something as they approached and the seizure seemed to ease its grip.

"_Please God, don't let him die. Not like this."_

Lucas struggled to drag out anything he could from his memory but it seemed stuck.

"The curse … on the helmet … it said that anyone who tried to follow his path to rob them would be cursed." He swallowed and tried to focus on the last time this had happened. Suddenly an image of a tall dark man came to mind but his name stayed hidden. Whoever he was he had provided the key to helping the Captain and Ortiz but without a name Lucas couldn't even call him to ask him for help.

"Wait a minute … I got it … "A pure heart passing through Atlantis and … and resisting its treasures will resist the curse". But how did they get to Atlantis to prove they could resist its treasures? Damn it! I just can't get a hold of it!"

Wendy had moved over beside him without Lucas even noticing. She was desperate enough to have scanned him while he was trying to remember and she saw the man he had thought of. She also saw herself in Medbay somehow creating a link with this man and Atlantis.

Lucas looked up, startled, as he felt her presence in his thoughts. He shook his head anxiously.

"I don't know his name! I can't remember!"

Wendy looked at him thoughtfully.

"Maybe we don't need him Lucas. From what I'm sensing we need to create a conduit between the Captain and Atlantis for some reason. Maybe we have enough links here to create it."

Lucas looked skeptical but Wendy quickly explained.

"You have the memories, Tim has the language, Miguel has the knowledge and I can bring us together. It's worth a shot. The Captain is running out of time for answers."

Carol blanched at the doctor's words. She felt her chest constrict as she watched her husband slipping away from her. All her hope was pinned on the elusive memories of a distressed teenager. She watched as he slowly approached the bed and gently took hold of one of Nathan's hands. The look of anguish on his face matched her own and for the first time since this crazy ride began she saw through to the heart of the matter. Whatever Lucas had done it had been prompted by love.

Wendy was outside talking to the three men left there to wait. They each stared at her with looks of disbelief but she continued on anyway.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. The bottom line is the Captain may be dying and this is the one thing I know to do to stop that. Will you help me?"

She searched the faces before her and even though she still saw they didn't believe her, they were willing to go along with her for the moment.

"Commander, Lucas said you were seeing visions of a warrior. Is that true?"

Ford hesitated to answer but eventually nodded. He wondered what she would write on his medical file but was surprised to see her smile.

"Maybe that can help us too. Come on. We don't have much time."

All three of them followed her into Medbay, each one silently wondering just what on earth was going on. Lucas turned as they came in and they could see the smudge of tears on his cheeks. Before anyone could ask anything Wendy asked them to stand around the bed. Carol was next to Lucas and she placed a hand over his. They held Nathan's hand in between them both as though together they could drag him back from wherever he was.

Wendy looked around the group.

"We need to make a mental connection to Atlantis so I want each one of you to hold onto the next one, close your eyes and go with my direction." They each nodded and took the hand of the person next to them. Wendy picked up the Captain's other hand and closed her eyes. She began to focus on the swirling thoughts around her and draw them together. It wasn't long before she saw the image of a tall, proud warrior standing before them. The image shimmered slightly and the background shifted again. They were standing inside a large cavern with tables hewn directly out of the rock. The warrior stood guard at the entrance.

As she watched, Captain Bridger walked into view. He stopped when he saw the warrior but eventually stepped forward again towards one of the tables. It was littered with precious jewels and gold and silver trinkets. Suspended above it by some kind of invisible means was a mirror. Bridger ran a hand slowly over the table before glancing up to the mirror. He smiled calmly and walked away from the table. The image of a long-lost city faded in their minds and the man on the bed began to stir.

As the Captain slowly opened his eyes he was disorientated at first by seeing the people surrounding him. As he focused on his wife he smiled slightly before closing his eyes again. The doctor began to check readings and she nodded with relief.

"He's back. Thankyou Lucas. I couldn't have done it if you hadn't shown me the way."

He frowned at her words.

"He never should have been there! I stopped Miguel so why didn't I stop him too."

Carol had been wondering the same thing but hadn't voiced the question. Lucas stepped back from the bed.

"He's going to be OK?"

Wendy nodded her assurance. "It's looking good so yes I'm sure he's going to be alright."

She was surprised as Lucas began backing away and she could sense his urgent need to run. Before she could think what to say he had fled from the room. Ford was the first to ask what they had all been thinking.

"Doctor Smith … what just happened? And what does Lucas have to do with all this?"

"Commander I think you're going to have to wait for the Captain to wake up to ask those questions. I'm sorry but I can't really say anything further for now."

* * *

It was two days before Ford got his answers but as he sat in the wardroom and listened to the story he struggled to believe it. If it hadn't been for his experience in Medbay he would have dismissed it completely. The Captain was looking very well in spite of his ordeal. Lucas, on the other hand looked awful. His face was drawn and black smudges ringed his eyes. It seemed as though he hadn't slept in days. He had been holed up in his quarters and barely spoken to anyone.

The senior crew were all present and Ben finally understood why Robert had asked him to keep an eye on Lucas. For some reason the story didn't seem so far fetched to him and he smiled encouragingly at the teenager. Lucas didn't seem able to muster a smile in return. He sat with his elbows on the table and twisted his hands together in an agitated manner.

The inevitable questions had come and he had tried to answer them as best he could. All the while he could feel any sense of belonging slipping away from him. They knew now he was different, an outsider and it was only a matter of time before he would have to leave. He didn't really belong there but the problem was he still didn't know where he did belong.

When Bridger mercifully called the meeting to a close Lucas bolted from the room. Bridger decided to go after him and after checking Lucas' quarters he headed for the moonpool. It seemed the next most logical place to look and sure enough, when he walked through the door, there was Lucas sitting on the edge of the pool with Darwin slowly swimming around his feet.

"Hey Kiddo."

Lucas didn't turn around but Bridger sat down beside him anyway. For a long time he just sat beside the teenager and said nothing.

"That was probably the toughest briefing I've ever had to do and I know it wasn't anything on what you had to do."

Darwin had stopped swimming and lifted his head slightly.

"Lucas is leaving."

Bridger had become accustomed to hearing his friend talk but the straightforward comment caught him off guard. He looked at Lucas to refute it but was surprised to see the boy nodding at him.

"What? There's no need for you to go anywhere."

"Yes Captain, there is." He licked his lips and tried to keep his voice level as he continued. "I don't belong here."

He shook his head as the Captain began to object.

"I _don't_ belong here. I have no idea how I got here but I do know I shouldn't be here. I feel like I'm walking a tightrope every day between my old reality and my new one. The truth is, my head hurts … all the time!"

His gaze dropped to the floor and his thoughts seemed to wander off again.

"I can't live my life second guessing myself. If I do this will I make that happen? If I miss something else then will more people get hurt? I knew I had to stop Miguel but I missed telling you about the helmet! You could have … died … like Tony!"

Bridger looked at him in alarm. "Who is Tony?"

Lucas almost choked on the reply. "Someone you should have known. You would have known … if I wasn't here." He dropped his face into his hands and the Captain reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Lucas, I have no idea how to help you but I promise you that whatever you need, I'll do it."

Eventually Lucas straightened up and turned to face the man beside him.

"I need to see my parents."

Bridger nodded at him. Connecting with family was always a good idea and he was more than happy to accommodate Lucas' wish.

"I'll have you on a shuttle first thing in the morning if that's what you want. You can take your time and decide what you want to do. I know you think you don't belong here but there are a lot of us who would dispute that. Take all the time you need, but I hope you decide to come back."

* * *

Carol walked into her quarters and stopped in her tracks as she saw the look on her husband's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I just finished speaking to Dr Wolenczak's secretary. It seems the doctor is in Venezuela on a research assignment. He's been there for over a month."

"So, is he coming back to see Lucas or has he gone to his mother's?" Carol had a bad feeling about the answer she was going to get.

"Actually, Lucas never showed up. He cancelled his plane ticket and the doctor's secretary said they weren't expecting him. He never planned to go home!"

"Then we have to find him! Nathan he was in bad shape when he left here. I thought he was going home to be taken care of. I never would have let him leave if I'd known this was going to happen."

"I know."

He reached out and pulled her into a hug. He had been worried when he first realised Lucas was missing but the idea that he could have disappeared on purpose made him feel sick. The boy's state of mind was questionable and he was mentally berating himself for allowing this to have happened. After all Lucas had done for him he had failed to help him when he needed it most.

There was a knock at the door and Bridger let go of Carol to open the hatch.

"Gentleman, come in."

Lieutenant Brody and Lieutenant Krieg walked into the room and turned to face the Captain. Both were off duty but had been summoned and that didn't usually happen unless something was wrong. The look on Doctor Bridger's face confirmed their suspicions.

Bridger didn't waste time sugar coating what he needed to say.

"Lucas is missing. I can't call in for official help without telling the UEO about Lucas' story and he's not ready to deal with that yet. I need you two to find him. Quickly!"

The urgency in his voice was unmistakable and Ben couldn't help asking, "Sir, is there something you aren't telling us?"

* * *

Lucas sat at the table of the small cantina and sipped his drink. They were oblivious to him as the two of them chatted and laughed at a table on the outer rim. It had taken weeks but he had finally forced the name out of his memory. Doctor Westphalen. Kristin. He had finally tracked her down but now that he had, he had no idea what to do next.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thankyou as always for your reviews, ideas and encouragement. I know this has changed format again but it's a work in progress and it keeps running off on its own.**

**I'm having trouble working out how I'm going to wrap it up so let me know what you want – happy or sad?**

**Chapter Six**

"When was the last time you spoke to Lucas?"

"Well I've spoken to him a few times since I got back but I haven't heard from him in weeks. What's going on? Did something happen?"

Robert looked back and forth between his parents. Something was obviously wrong.

"Dad? What's going on?"

Captain Bridger sighed. The whole Atlantis incident was classified until he could get to UEO headquarters and report it in full. The issue of treasure hunters was still there and given the complications he had decided to report it in person to McGath. An interim report had been sent but it was sufficiently vague to keep Lucas out of the picture. At least, that had been the plan until he disappeared. Now the captain's hands were tied as far as calling in UEO help and he was restricted in what he could tell his own son.

"He was heading home but missed his connecting flight. It's probably just a mix-up but we're trying to find him."

Robert knew his father well enough to know he wasn't telling him something but he was also aware of military protocols and realised why. It didn't do anything to stop the sick feeling in his stomach. The conversations he had had with Lucas had made him realise that the teenager was struggling with what had happened to him. Robert had found himself reliving the sinking ship all over again every night in his dreams. He could only guess at what Lucas was dreaming about.

"And you thought he would contact me? Why would he call me and not you?"

"I don't know what we thought but I guess we were just hoping that you may have heard from him." Carol sighed in frustration. "Please, just let us know if you do."

"Sure."

* * *

"Well that's the last one!" Ben slammed his hand on the bench in frustration. "I've called in every favour I can think of but it's turned up nothing."

Brody looked at him from under the rim of his cap. The midday sun was blistering and they were both in need of a rest. Weeks of following dead-end trails was taking its toll. They had both assumed this would be a relatively easy assignment to locate Lucas and had presumed the hard part would be convincing him to come back with them. It turned out that just finding him was the hard part. It seemed as though he had disappeared off the face of the map.

Before he could say anything further a waitress had stopped with their drinks. She smiled brightly at them and both men virtually drained their glasses in one gulp. As Jim swished the ice around in the bottom he considered whether it was time to report back to the seaQuest or not. He wasn't used to failing at a mission but somehow Lucas had managed to give them the slip.

"How does a sixteen year old kid just disappear? I mean we only got this far because he had to travel on a passport but he seems pretty cluey on how to do this."

Ben just nodded at him. "Yeah, but then I guess he isn't your average sixteen year old."

"That's for sure! If I hadn't gotten confirmation from Ford I wouldn't have believed any of that cockamamie story of his. Commander Ford would have told it straight."

"And Bridger wouldn't?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just Ford isn't personally involved and wouldn't have any reason to make that stuff up. In fact he'd be the first one to squash it if he thought it was untrue."

"Yeah. It's not like the poster boy for the UEO to have …"

Ben was cut off by the sound of gunfire in a nearby street. Both men scrambled to their feet and quickly moved to a more secure area. Brody grabbed Ben by the shoulder and nodded behind him, towards their hotel.

"I think it's time to check in and bring the Captain up to speed."

He didn't need to explain why. They were in a politically unstable area and it wasn't unusual to see or hear running gunbattles. If anything happened the UEO didn't know where they were and the seaQuest was too far away to be any help. Neither of them was carrying any official ID and if trouble found them then their options for help were very limited.

* * *

A hand reached out from behind him and grabbed Lucas roughly by the collar. As he struggled to pull free he twisted around and saw who was holding him. A young man, maybe nineteen or twenty years of age was glaring at him.

"Who are you and why are you following them?" The anger in his eyes was unmistakable and Lucas briefly wondered how he was supposed to answer.

_I came to check she wasn't dead._

Somehow he didn't think that was going to cut it as an explanation.

The man shook him again.

"I said, what are you doing following them?"

"Malique! Let him go." Lucas heard her voice and felt his breath catch in his throat. A voice he thought he would never hear again. He turned slightly to see her rushing over towards them but his excitement was short lived. As Malique loosened his grip on Lucas' collar, Kristin marched up in front of him.

"All right young man! Who are you and why are you following my daughter and me?"

The no-nonsense tone of her voice would have made him smile under different circumstances but he stopped himself just in time. This Dr Westphalen didn't know him and he didn't think she would hold back on giving him a piece of her mind. At least that was what he was expecting, maybe even hoping for. To see that she was essentially the same person he had been missing so badly; the same woman who had been a nightly visitor in his dreams. Since working out her name he had felt driven to find her and see for himself that she was alright. Because after Tony he couldn't bear the thought that he had caused Kristin any harm as well.

"Well!" Her accent always seemed more pronounced when she was angry and right now she was every inch a Brit as she stared him down.

"Um, I was looking for you."

"Why?" The suspicion in her tone was obvious.

"Well I read about your work here and wanted to come and see for myself."

She looked at him as though sizing him up.

"Really? And just what exactly have you been reading?"

"I know that you and Cynthia help street kids that nobody else is interested in. I know you have very little in the way of resources and nobody in authority wants to know about the problem."

"The problem! Is that what you call them?" Another voice cut in from behind them. Lucas turned around to see Cynthia standing nearby. The look on her face was one of contempt. "General Guzmano calls them vermin. Then he sends in the exterminators to clean up the "problem"!".

Cynthia stepped up to stand in front of Lucas. "Whoever you are, it's time for you to leave."

Lucas stood his ground as he scrambled to think what to say. He couldn't have come this far to find Kristin only to walk away now. Before he could respond the sound of gunfire erupted several streets away. Malique grabbed Cynthia and pushed her towards her mother.

"Come on! The patrols are out early tonight."

The three of them began to head back the way they had come. Kristin turned back to see Lucas standing in the middle of the street with a look of hesitancy on his face. Something about him tugged at her and she waved a hand at him.

"Well don't just stand there! Unless you want to get shot." He didn't wait for a better invitation before chasing after them as they ran down the narrow alleyway. Shots rang out closer now and he ran to catch up.

It was maybe ten minutes or so before they squeezed through a small doorway into a barely lit room. It smelled strange and it took a few minutes for Lucas to adapt to the darkness. Eventually his eyes began to focus and he realised the doctor had moved into the next room. Malique stood in the doorway and looked Lucas over, as though daring him to try entering the next room.

Cynthia was hunched over a small computer setup that looked as though it had been rigged from salvaged or stolen bits and pieces. He wondered what she was doing but wasn't sure she would appreciate his asking.

* * *

"Sorry Captain but we've drawn a blank." Brody looked uncomfortable making the report. Finding a kid shouldn't be that hard.

"Where are you now?" Bridger asked.

"Curitiba Cove. Inside the Amazonian Confederation."

Bridger frowned at him.

"Lieutenant are you sure that's where he went? I mean, what could he possibly be doing there?"

'Yes Sir. We tracked his movements through Immigration and the last flight he took was to Brasilia. It took a bit of tracking but we followed his trail here." The confident tone of his voice faded slightly as he finished up. " It's gone cold again though."

The Captain leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. He didn't know which was going to be worse - telling the UEO he had sent two officers into the Amazonian Confederation or telling Carol that Lucas was there but they had lost him. The whole area was run by warlords and money and firepower talked louder than anything else. The emerald smugglers and drug cartels were the law and conditions could change in a heartbeat.

"Whatever possessed him to go there?" Bridger wondered to himself as he stared at Brody's bleak expression.

* * *

Lucas watched as Cynthia's face grew more frustrated. He wasn't sure what the problem was but decided eventually that he could possibly help. He slowly moved over towards her but she ignored him. Malique was still eyeing him warily however and moved to put himself between Lucas and Cynthia.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

Lucas stopped in his tracks. He desperately wanted to spend some time with Kristin and it seemed he had blown it before even getting a chance.

"I thought I could help, maybe, with the computer. You see, I um, actually know a bit about them and I thought you could do with some help. My mistake. Sorry."

Cynthia glanced at Malique and then over towards the door as her mother walked back through. She had heard the exchange and looked directly at Lucas. He struggled to keep his emotions in check as he realised just how familiar that look was. The "look". The one she gave him when he had pulled some stunt with Ben and tried to squirm out of it. The one she saved for when he hadn't finished something he had promised he would. The one that usually made her look angrier with him than she really was. He had learnt to read her expressions but he had to remind himself this wasn't the same woman. Maybe her expressions were different. He sighed inwardly as he tried to decide what to say next.

"If you're going to stay here tonight you might as well make yourself useful."

Lucas looked slightly confused. "Stay here?"

"Well you can't go back out there now the patrols are out. They'll pick you off in minutes." She looked at him sternly. "But don't think this means I trust you!"

Lucas just nodded and continued over towards Cynthia. It was only a small chink in the armour but it was a start. Now if he could just fix the problem.

Around thirty minutes later he sat up and smiled at Cynthia. "Wanna try it again?"

She looked at him skeptically but tried anyway. She was surprised as the system began to run smoothly for the first time in months. Connection to the outside world was vital as the flow of information was the one weapon she had available to her. Guzmano's goons had shut them down on many occasions but each time they had managed to patch something together to get themselves back on the air. She tried to contain her excitement at this new development but failed completely. Somehow this stranger had worked magic!

Kristin stood behind Lucas and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Thankyou, for whatever you just did."

He flinched at the unexpected touch and she pulled her hand away. It was a reaction that puzzled her but she soon forgot it as Malique entered the room with plates of food. Lucas was surprised at how hungry he was but soon realised it had been hours since he last ate. He gratefully accepted the plate held out before him.

The rest of the evening passed in disjointed conversation. They were wary of the stranger who had appeared in their midst even if he had fixed their computer. They had learnt not to trust strangers as General Guzmano had people everywhere who were willing to make some quick money.

For his part, Lucas was reluctant to say much about himself for fear of giving away something he shouldn't. They took his reticence as proof he was hiding something. Eventually he found himself trying to sleep on a camp stretcher with Malique's whispered warning still ringing in his ears.

* * *

_Fires were burning from an explosion as debris showered down on them all. Bridger called to him from down a long corridor and it seemed as though they ran towards him in slow motion._

_A large man with bizarre colours across his face lunged at him and he could barely make out his words above the noise. The noise! Screams of agony filled the air even over the noise of weapons fire._

_"Lucas, Captain Bridger said we have to go."_

_"Dagwood? ……… Where are they? ……… Nooo, we can't go without them!_

_Strong arms gripped him as he tried to wrestle free. He felt himself being dragged backwards as he saw the Captain heading away from him._

"Lucas! Wake up!" Malique roughly shook him but it was too late. Kristin came through the door followed closely by Cynthia. They had both been woken by the boy's nightmare.

Kristin noted the twisted bedsheet that was tangled around Lucas' torso. The doctor in her wondered how long he had been writhing on the stretcher while the mother in her felt her heart ache at the sight of his face. Such pain in someone so young. Her first impression of him had been one of distrust but clearly there was something more going on. Malique shook him again and finally he began to climb out of the nightmare he was stuck in.

Lucas looked bewildered as he saw the faces in front of him. Eventually he managed to pull his senses together and sat up. His heart was still pounding and he could taste the fear in his mouth. He had experienced this nightmare many times but this was the first time it had revealed so much detail.

"I … I have to warn them!"

Kristin held his wrist gently in her hand as she monitored his pulse. "Warn who? About what?"

He stared at her, bordering on the edge of panic. "Not to go! They can't go! I have to stop them! I think that's why I'm here. It's more than just Robert. I have to stop it!"

The three of them exchanged glances. This wasn't making any sense but then people were often disorientated after a nightmare.

"It's alright. You need to rest and tomorrow we can work out what you need to do." Kristin tried to reassure him.

"No! I have to speak to the Captain." Lucas' breath was still coming in bursts as his mind tried to process what he had experienced. "I have to stop _seaQuest_!"

Malique raised his eyebrows. "Stop the _seaQuest_? From doing what? And how exactly can you stop it?" The idea was laughable that a scruffy kid could stop the UEO flagship from doing anything.

Lucas scrambled to his feet. He ignored the attitude behind the questions and frantically looked around at them.

"I need to use your vidlink. Please!"

The urgency in his voice made Cynthia react and she pointed to the door. "It's in the clinic." She wasn't sure what he was going to do but something about him made her realise he was deadly serious and this call wasn't going to wait until morning.

A few minutes later the voice of a comm officer came through but there was no image. Lucas realised it was standard procedure as he was an unidentified source.

"Whoever this is you are broadcasting on a secure UEO channel without authorisation."

Lucas smiled slightly. Tim was on duty.

"Tim, it's me – Lucas."

'Lucas? Really?"

"Yeah, it's really me."

Kristin glanced at Cynthia and Malique. She saw her own expression mirrored on their faces. None of them had really believed he could get through to the seaQuest but suddenly the screen came to life with the image of a bridge officer.

"The Captain's been looking for you. Are you alright?" It was clear by the tone of his voice the question wasn't just asked out of politeness.

"I'm fine but I need to speak to the Captain."

Commander Ford came into view and he looked as relieved as Tim did.

"Lucas! Brody and Krieg have been looking for you but they reported in you had gone to the Amazonian Confederation."

"Ben's here?" Lucas hadn't considered that anyone would have followed him this far. The idea that Ben was nearby both bothered and comforted him.

"Send us your co-ordinates and we'll get them to come to you."

Lucas quickly typed them in.

Ford nodded as he saw how close his men were to Lucas' location. "Alright just sit tight and they'll be there soon." The screen went blank as Ford signed off.

As Lucas stood back up the door burst open and several ragged children rushed in. Cynthia was on her feet in seconds and they ran to her.

"They're coming! They are taking the boys!"

She didn't need to ask who "they" were and Lucas suddenly realised he already knew too. Guzmano's death squads.

Shots rang out in the darkness outside. Screams echoed down the narrow alleyway as many booted feet rushed past. Malique pushed the door closed and raised the wooden bar across it. Kristin looked at her daughter and then glanced back at Lucas.

"How far away is the _seaQuest_?"

"Fairly close I think. Why?"

"We planned to get them out. This may be our best shot at it." Cynthia had understood her mother's intentions and nodded her approval of the impromptu plan.

Lucas watched as the three of them swung into action. Obviously this plan had been in place for a while as they each seemed to know what to do without too much discussion. Cynthia had sent the children back out into the night with instructions to bring the others to a certain cove in an hour's time. He felt useless as he tried to stay out their way. All thoughts of his nightmare had vanished as they focussed on the immediate need of getting them safely out to the _seaQuest_.

Suddenly a knock on the door made them all freeze. Soldiers were still out on the streets and sporadic gunfire could still be heard. Another knock and this time Lucas heard Ben's voice.

"Lucas! Are you in there?"

He rushed to pull the wooden bar away and opened the door. Ben stood there with his hand raised to knock again. Lucas pulled him into the room and Brody followed closely behind him before the door swung shut again. Malique pushed the heavy wooden bar back into place as he eyed the two men in front of him. Even in civilian clothes they both had a military posture about them.

Ben grinned at Lucas, relief written all over his face. "Glad to see you in one piece."

Brody looked around the room and realised the others were packing. "We have to get you out of here. The _seaQuest_ is sending in a retrieval team in half an hour. We better hurry if we're going to make the rendezvous point."

Lucas shook his head at them. "We have to help get some kids first."

Brody frowned at him. "No we don't. Orders are to get you out of here ASAP."

Lucas tried to smother a smile. Brody always was military through and through. Follow orders to the letter.

"Well unless you plan on kidnapping me I'm going with these guys first. Then you can take me back to the _seaQuest_."

Brody glared at him. They had spent weeks tracking him down and now he didn't want to leave! He envisaged throwing the kid over his shoulder but suddenly a shrill scream split the air.


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow! Sacrifice Henderson (actually she doesn't quite meet the virginal criteria required for a sacrifice). Don't kill Ben (how could I ever do that???) Make it all happy or else I'll get scary stuff emanating from my computer (you mean besides my kids' music?) .... I'm so glad I asked for your choices. :-)**

**When I started this story it was supposed to be one chapter that fixed things and finished on a happy note. That was THE PLAN. Until reviewers made other things happen - it's all their fault, not mine, honest!**

**Since then I've had a sad ending rolling around in the chasm called my mind and it won't go away. Maybe because we are all secret drama junkies? Anyway thanks to Joxer for the idea of two alternative endings. I remember now you did that in your story about Chucky - great idea! I personally want happy but my evil muse wants sad so you can take your pick. In the next chapter .... **

**Chapter Seven **

They all turned towards the door as the sound of screams grew closer. They suddenly stopped as gunfire tore through the crowd. The ensuing silence was chilling. Brody looked at Malique.

"Is there any other way out of here? A back door?"

Malique nodded and pointed towards the clinic door. "Out that way. But that street will probably be patrolled too. The rooftop may be a better option." He looked at Kristin and saw her nodding at him.

"We can't take this gear over the roof but we have to get to the boys quickly. They will be frightened and could be discovered." She moved towards the clinic door and Cynthia quickly followed.

As Lucas began to go after her Brody grabbed him by the arm. "Where are we going? Who are these boys?"

"Streetkids. Nobody wants them and Guzmano sees them as human garbage. The squads round them up and take those old enough to be soldiers and dispose of the rest. Dr Westphalen and her daughter have a safe house nearby that the kids know to get to in times of trouble. The plan was to move them offshore next week but it's been moved up. Lieutenant we have to get them to the _seaQuest." _

Ben nodded and began to move towards the door. Brody looked doubtful but moved as well.

_"You _can explain this one to the Captain! Come on, let's move."

Malique led the way towards a concealed alcove on the side of the building. Crude rungs were carved out of the wall and he began to climb towards the roof. It wasn't long before they all sat crouched on the rooftop. Soldiers still ran through the streets but the sound of gunfire was moving south of them. The roundup gangs had left many bodies in their wake and Lucas tried not to think about just how many there were.

Stealing across the rooftop was a slow process as each alleyway below them had to be checked before they made the jump across. The buildings were all close enough but there was no way to see immediately who was lurking in the dark below and if they would blow the whistle or not.

Finally Malique began the climb down the side of what looked like a warehouse. As the rest of the group made their way down he had already crossed the small courtyard and gingerly opened a side door. Muffled noises inside revealed the occupants but he soon had them at ease when they realised he wasn't from Guzmano's ranks. Malique quickly told them it was time to leave and he began to pick up one of the smallest boys.

Despite his misgivings Brody began to scoop up two small boys who clung to him in terror. Each of the others also carried those who couldn't walk and the older boys helped carry some of the smaller ones. They were all ragged and filthy and a smell of disease hung in the air.

Lucas tried desperately to recall if there was anything he needed to remember of this scenario but nothing came to mind. He took that as a good sign that things had turned out alright but couldn't quite shake a nagging doubt. He had gotten the part about Cynthia right and he vaguely recalled Malique but the fact that he was there meant things weren't quite right. He wondered just what effect his presence along with Krieg and Brody would have on the situation.

He didn't get much chance to wonder as they began to carry the boys out into the night. He tried to quieten the terrified child that was wrapped around his neck and found himself softly humming a soothing tune. It seemed to work as the boy snuggled into his chest and appeared to go to sleep. He couldn't have been more than five or six but he only weighed as much as a three year old. The bones in his chest rubbed against Lucas as he walked and he could feel the thinness of the child's arms that were stretched around his neck.

Cynthia had told the boys they were going to a boat but when they arrived at the dock Lucas wondered if he had heard her correctly. There wasn't anything much that would qualify as a boat but his Portuguese was pretty poor. Finally he spotted it. It wasn't a boat at all but a small submarine. He wondered if it was seaworthy but as the sound of gunfire grew closer he decided he would take his chances in the sub.

Malique moved quickly to the pilot's seat and Ben hurried up beside him. Brody helped unload the boys as they climbed down the ladder and Lucas got them settled against the walls of the vessel. They huddled together in clusters and he finally got a chance to see just how many of them there were. Roughly sixty boys ranging in age from two to maybe thirteen stared back at him with wide eyes. Cynthia moved around amongst the boys speaking to them calmly and quietly. They obviously trusted her as they began to relax slightly. Kristin had her hands full trying to make several sick children as comfortable as she could. Finally as the last child was brought down Brody sealed the hatch and waved at Krieg to move them off.

The engines powered up but sounded rather rough. Obviously the vessel wasn't in great shape but Lucas hoped it would be enough to get them to safety. He smiled encouragingly at the boys nearby him but they only looked back with blank faces.

Twenty minutes out from the dock Krieg decided it was time to call in the _seaQuest. _He was relieved to see Bridger's face appear on the screen.

"Captain, we've got Lucas on board as well as a few extra passengers."

Bridger looked over his shoulder at the faces behind Ben. "I gather there's an explanation to go with them Lieutenant?"

"Uh yes Sir, there is. I'll be happy to... what the hell was that?" He turned to Malique who was battling the controls. The submarine shuddered violently.

"Captain! We're under fire!" Another blast shook the sub and water began to hiss through an overhead pipe.

On the bridge of the _seaQuest _Ortiz called over his shoulder, "Captain there's an attack class sub closing in on their position and they've dropped depth charges from a surface vessel."

"Get me through to that ship!" Bridger turned back to O'Neill.

"Aye Sir." He tried several broadcast channels. "They're not responding to our hail."

"Get me through to them anyway." Tim quickly typed in another command.

"This is Captain Bridger of the UEO vessel, _seaQuest. _The submarine you are attacking is under my protection. Back off or you _will_ be fired on."

For several minutes there was no response. "Mr Ford, target their propeller and fire when ready."

"Aye Sir. Torpedoes away." He held his breath while staring at the screen in front of him. "Impact."

Ortiz looked up from the WSKR array. "Propeller noise is gone, Sir. The vessel is dead in the water."

"Captain, the sub is pulling away." Ford glanced at Bridger to see if he would go after it.

"Get me Krieg."

Seconds later the lieutenant's face appeared on the screen. "Captain, that last charge knocked us sideways. We've got injuries and we're taking on water."

"Understood. We're about ten minutes out."

"Well hopefully this old tub will hold together that long!" Ten minutes sounded like ten hours as Lucas watched water spray over the back half of the old submarine. The last depth charge had rocked them violently and several people had been thrown across the cramped space. Kristin was crouched over Cynthia who had been standing up at the time of the explosion. Her body had been flung into a bulkhead and she was now lying on the floor, obviously in serious pain.

Lucas held onto several small hands as the children around him tried not to show their fear. He smiled at them with far more confidence than he actually felt. Ten minutes was a long time to hold off a hull breach. The skin of the submarine creaked and groaned under the water pressure. At last he heard the sound of docking clamps as the small submarine attached itself to the side of the much larger one. He was relieved to see the hatch cover pull back to reveal Crocker's face.

Brody called for a Med team before helping the boys climb up the ladder to freedom. Minutes later the flow of children was interrupted as a stretcher was lowered down. Dr Smith followed it down and quickly began to assess Cynthia's injuries. Kristin introduced herself as a doctor and began to outline her daughter's suspected injuries. Wendy nodded and quickly issued orders for Cynthia to be transferred to Medbay. She glanced towards the back of the vessel and saw Lucas with children clinging to him. She smiled with relief to see him but quickly moved to follow the stretcher.

Another Medteam climbed down and began to gather sick children to get them back to Medbay as quickly as possible.

* * *

It was hours before the Captain got a chance to speak with Lucas. In the midst of dealing with so many children and making sure Cynthia was treated there hadn't been any time to stop. Carol had shepherded the boys off to the mess hall to be fed. That had proven a mammoth task on its own and Lucas had gone off with Ben to find supplies for bedding. A makeshift dormitory had slowly appeared in the mess.

It seemed that the General had decided his forces were no match for the _seaQuest _and had backed off. At least there had been no further signs of trouble or pursuit.

Captain Bridger walked into the mess and saw his wife tucking a group of small boys into what looked like a nest of blankets. They clung together and he watched sadly as he realised they stuck together so desperately out of necessity. The only reason these ones had made it this far in life was because they had watched out for each other. He shuddered to think what they had endured.

He stopped as he saw Lucas on the far side of the room. He looked exhausted but he was talking to some of the older boys. Two of them laughed tentatively and as Bridger got closer he realised they were laughing at Lucas' attempts at Portuguese. Obviously being a genius didn't extend that far.

"Hey Kiddo. How's the language lesson going?" Lucas looked up and smiled.

"How's Cynthia? The boys have been asking."

"She's going to be fine. She has a couple of broken ribs and a very sore head but Wendy will take good care of her and her mother isn't going to let her out of bed in a hurry." He smiled at the memory of Dr Westphalen issuing orders in Medbay like she owned the place. It was a good thing Wendy was an empath and knew it was just a worried mother taking charge. Otherwise there could have been problems.

Lucas disentangled himself from the child on his lap and stood up. "What's going to happen to them Captain?"

"I've spoken to McGath and arrangements are being made. Don't worry."

Lucas knew that something more had happened. He wondered what Bridger had said to the Secretary General.

"Well you managed to cause General Guzmano quite a bit of embarrassment and almost sparked an international incident."

Lucas swallowed hard and tried not to think what the fallout from this would mean for the Captain.

"I'm sorry but they were going to kill them! I couldn't just sit there and do nothing."

"Hey, I'm not angry. Anybody who could sit and watch as children were slaughtered has no place on my boat. I'm _proud_ of you. The UEO can deal with the political stuff." He gestured at the boys spread out on the floor as Carol came over to his side. "These boys have a future because of what you all did."

He turned to leave the mess and Lucas reluctantly followed him out. It was late and he was struggling to stifle a yawn. Carol looked at him with concern.

"You need some sleep Lucas. We've got a lot to talk about but it can wait until morning." He nodded and headed off towards his quarters. There certainly was a lot to talk about but he really didn't know where to begin.

As he entered his quarters his PAL began to beep. He would have ignored it if he could but it must have been important at this late hour.

"Lucas here."

Commander Ford's voice came through. "Lucas I have your father on the vidlink. Captain Bridger called him when you went missing. I'm sorry, he sounds ... " He hesitated to finish the sentence, "... kinda angry."

Lucas sighed. He really didn't have the energy to deal with this right now but there was no putting it off.

"Put him through, Commander." Lawrence appeared on the screen. He was obviously in a laboratory somewhere but Lucas had no idea where.

"Lucas! Are you alright?" Lucas seemed taken aback by his father's apparent concern but it was short-lived. As he nodded he saw his father turn to speak to someone behind him. Obviously he had been interrupted and Lucas knew that was never a good idea. "What did you think you were doing? You had no right to leave the _seaQuest!"_

"Dad, I needed to ... I really need to see you. There's some stuff happening that I need to talk with you about." Lucas looked up at the screen and saw his father was again talking to his assistant. He tried again.

"Dad? _Please_. I need to come and see you."

Lawrence looked back at his son. "Lucas I'm on the verge of something important here." As he watched Lucas's face he relented a little. "I'm sorry Son, I should be done here in a couple of weeks. Maybe we can meet up then?"

"Sure Dad."

"In the meantime Captain Bridger has my authority to deal with anything you need. Lucas I need to get back to this. I'll call you soon." Lucas stared at the blank screen and just nodded slowly. "Sure thing Dad."

* * *

_Smoke was everywhere. There was that awful noise again. What was it supposed to do? As if they didn't already know the ship was in trouble by the slant of the floor. _

_He stumbled against something that had been dropped on the floor and then realised it was __a __body. As he tried to regain his footing he stopped and stared at the body on the floor. "Robert! God no! I'm too late. " _

_"Lucas, _we _have to leave." The strange man behind him grabbed hold of Lucas' arm and pulled him back towards the door. _

_"Captain! Don't go that way!" Lucas watched as the Captain ran back down the corridor. _

_He dropped to his knees and began to sob. The smoke was overwhelming and it was starting to choke him. Someone leaned down and pulled him by the shoulders. _

"Lucas, wake up!" Wendy shook him to try to break him out of the dream but he stubbornly held on.

"Lucas!"

_"Captain! Wait, don't leave _me _here!" _

Wendy tried again to shake him awake but she noted how deep a dream state he was in. She tried another tack and laid a calming hand alongside his face. She closed her eyes and slipped into hell. There was smoke everywhere and a horrendous noise. Lucas was being half dragged along by the strangest man she had ever seen. He looked to be wearing camouflage makeup but seemed familiar somehow.

Explosions further down the corridor made Lucas and the man head down a side passage. Lucas was sobbing and she could feel his despair. Finally she managed to make him aware of her presence and slowly pull him out of the nightmare.

As he woke up he was disorientated at first but gradually realised he was in his own quarters. What he couldn't understand was why Doctor Smith was there. Before he could ask her she answered him. "You called me. In your sleep but you definitely called me. I could feel you needed me and now I know why."

He looked embarrassed but felt relieved that she was there. The nightmare had left an awful taste and a strange sense of dread.

"Doctor ... do you think ... , I mean ... do you believe in Fate?"

"Why?"

"Do you think some things are unchangeable?"

She knew what he was alluding to but felt he needed to express it himself in order to process his emotions.

'Could I have saved Robert only so he could die anyway, somewhere else?"

"Well everyone will die sometime but none of us know when."

"That's not what I mean. My dream was ... so real. Will Robert die anyway? Was it all for nothing?" He breathed the last question so softly that Wendy barely heard him.

She had no words of comfort but just reached out and hugged him. He sagged against her and seemed to have run out of energy. Finally he lay back down on the bunk and was asleep in minutes. Wendy sat for quite some time just watching his face as he slept. A distinct chill crept over her as she ran over the dream again in her mind. She had seen Lucas' memories of the sinking ship before but this was clearly something more. In his mind it seemed as though he had merged two separate events. If his future awareness held true to form then something truly horrific was coming. The problem was she had no idea of a timeframe and Lucas seemed unable to be more specific.

Waiting for Lucas to remember on his own seemed too risky. Finally she decided she would speak to the Captain in the morning and recommend her friend Clay be brought in to help. She pulled Lucas' blanket up a little higher and quietly crept out of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thankyou to those of you who reminded me about the aliens. I'd forgotten about them when I started but they will come in very handy to round this out. I know I said you'd get to choose in this chapter but it got longer than I planned. Nearly there, I promise! **

**Chapter Eight **

Wendy walked into Medbay and saw Dr Westphalen was still there. She smiled slightly and realised she wasn't at all surprised. For all her crisp business-like manner the day before it was obvious how much she loved her daughter. Her anxiety was only relieved when she understood just how high a level of care Cynthia would receive from the _seaQuest _medical crew.

As the two doctors agreed on a diagnosis and treatment plan, Kristin begrudgingly released her daughter into Wendy's care. However that didn't mean she was going to leave the Medbay any time soon. Even though she had been assigned temporary bunk space in someone's quarters she had slept next to the bed in a rigid chair. Wendy sympathised as she saw Kristin wince with a stiff neck but chose not to comment. Instead she just placed a mug of steaming coffee on the cabinet beside her and turned her attention to Cynthia.

"How's our patient feeling this morning?"

Cynthia smiled at her. "Like I got trampled by an elephant but other than that, just wonderful. How are our boys?"

"Straight to business hey? They are all being fed breakfast at the moment."

Kristin smiled. "God help whoever drew the short straw on that duty!"

Wendy laughed. "Yes, well, Malique was trying to sound imposing and restore order but he looked to be losing the battle. I just grabbed our coffees and ran!"

Kristin nodded and smiled at her daughter. "Somehow Cynthia always manages to keep order but Malique gets overrun." She paused before changing the topic. "Was Lucas with him?"

Wendy caught a strange sensation as Kristin asked the question. It was an innocent enough question but there was something more behind it. Without probing she couldn't tell what it was so she made a mental note to follow up on it later. Something had happened between Lucas and Kristin but she didn't know what. Given Lucas' nightmare during the night she was especially tuned to anything that might give her some more clues. He had obviously gone looking for these people but Wendy didn't know yet if it was one or all of them that he had known before. Before. That sounded so strange in her thoughts as she tried to untangle the idea that "before" was still to come in the future. Maybe.

Wendy shook her head slightly as she realised she hadn't answered the question and Cynthia and Kristin were looking at her strangely. Kristin noted Wendy's hesitation and wondered if something was wrong. She barely knew him but something about Lucas nagged at her. She hadn't really had time to get many details on why he was there in Curitiba Cove before things had gotten crazy. His nightmare had been disturbing to all of them but there hadn't been time to follow up on it. There was something decidedly odd about him and now the doctor's reaction had just added to her suspicions.

"Uh, no. I didn't see him when I was there but he could have been anywhere. There were a lot of things to do this morning."

Her vague response did nothing to answer Kristin's unspoken questions and it just made her more determined to get to the bottom of the puzzle. Before she could ask anything more the Captain came through the door with a woman beside him.

"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't get your name last night. What with everything else that was going on."

"Kristin. Westphalen and this is my daughter Cynthia." Kristin held out a hand and the Captain shook it.

"Nathan Bridger, and this is my wife Carol." Carol smiled at both the women and reached out to shake hands as well. She was startled by an odd sensation as she grasped Kristin's hand. A fleeting sense of ... what? Jealousy? She quickly dismissed it as ridiculous and looked over towards Wendy.

"How's your patient doing this morning?"

"She'll be fine with plenty of rest." Carol smiled at Cynthia. "Well the boys are being taken care of so you just lay back and enjoy _seaQuest's _hospitality for a while."

Kristin looked back at the Captain. "Nathan I was wondering where Lucas was this morning. We haven't had a chance to thank him for what he did yesterday. And your two officers. Without them I shudder to think where we would be now."

Bridger realised he hadn't seen Lucas himself this morning and was surprised by the look on Wendy's face. She quickly covered it but he knew something was amiss. "I haven't caught up with him yet myself but he'll be about somewhere. I'll send him down to see you when I talk to him. Now if you'll excuse us we've got a few things to check on."

Wendy moved around the bed. "Could I have a quick word with you Captain before you go?"

"Of course. I'll just ..." He stopped as his PAL began to beep. "Bridger here."

"Captain we've got Secretary General McGath for you."

"Put him through to the Wardroom Lieutenant. I'll be there shortly. I'm sorry Doctor, can it wait?"

Wendy just nodded. It would have to. "Let me know when you have a minute." Bridger nodded as he left Medbay with Carol.

Kristin watched them leave and wondered what it would be like to have a husband and wife serve on the same vessel. She frowned slightly as it was her understanding that it was against UEO regulations.

As though reading her thoughts Wendy spoke up. "Dr Bridger is the head of our Science contingent. She is one of the world's foremost marine biologists. Captain Bridger told the UEO he wanted her here and they didn't really have a choice if they wanted him as Captain."

* * *

As the Captain headed off to the Wardroom, Carol decided it was time to check up on Lucas. She called him on his PAL but got no response. Normally that wouldn't have worried her too much as he often "forgot" to take it with him, especially when he was trying to unknot a problem that was proving difficult. She cut him some slack on it because she knew he could think better if he was left uninterrupted.

It didn't sit easily with her today though as she had seen how exhausted he looked last night. She called Krieg to check if he knew where Lucas was and then tried the bridge. Nobody had seen him since the previous night so she headed to his quarters. A sense of urgency spurred her on as she hurried out from the Maglev. A gnawing sense that something was wrong made her run the last stretch to his quarters. She rapped heavily on the door but when she got no answer she quickly pushed the door open.

She was relieved to see he was asleep on his bunk and immediately felt silly for panicking. Obviously he was exhausted and she should have known he would still be asleep. She crept over to the bunk and gently sat down on the edge. He didn't stir at the movement and she tentatively reached out a hand to brush his hair out of his face. She was stunned to see blood on the pillow and grabbed him by the shoulders to shake him awake. He didn't respond so she rolled him over onto his back. He was still breathing but a trail of dried blood ran from his nose. She grabbed her PAL and called Medbay.

"Wendy! Something's wrong with Lucas. I can't wake him and he's been bleeding from the nose!"

Wendy's voice came back at her quickly. "I'm on my way."

As Wendy ran to grab her medkit Kristin raced over to her side. "Maybe I can help?" She had felt a strange sense of dread at Carol's words and wondered if there was more to Lucas' nightmare the other night than she had realised. Wendy nodded and the two of them took off out of Medbay towards the Maglev.

Nathan ran through the door to Lucas' quarters in time to see the teenager being lifted onto a gurney. His face was pale and a smear of dried blood stood out in stark contrast. "What happened?" he demanded.

Wendy looked up with what seemed like a hint of guilt in her eyes. Guilt? For what?

"We don't know yet but he won't wake up. We'll know more after some tests. Now we need to get him to Medbay."

Two medics quickly directed the gurney out the door and down the corridor towards Medbay. The Captain trailed behind with his wife in tow. She looked frightened and he squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"He'll be OK. He's a tough kid."

She nodded in agreement but her eyes didn't reflect it. "I should have checked on him sooner. I knew it was strange he wasn't down in the mess with the boys. I should have ... "

"Don't beat yourself up. We all missed it." Nathan shook his head at his own failure. Once again he had let Lucas down when he needed them. His PAL began to beep and he pulled it out with a look of irritation. "Bridger here."

"Captain, you are needed on the bridge." Bridger frowned at Ford's words but nodded anyway. "On my way Commander." He stopped walking and looked at Carol. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded as she watched him hurry back in the direction they had come.

* * *

_The old man sat on the ground and stared into the fire. As Lucas approached he didn't appear to hear. He thought it odd that a Native American could be caught out but as he got closer he realised the old man was covertly watching him after all. Finally he looked up and as he did _so _his image began to shimmer and change. His face seemed to melt before it merged with another face. __An alien face. _

_Suddenly he was in the moonpool with Darwin. A strange marking had appeared on his skin. Dr Smith said it was bacterial but not to worry as it would clear up. Dagwood seemed to have liked the marking because he began drawing it repeatedly, almost obsessively. _

_The smoke was everywhere and he gasped as Dagwood pulled him along. He didn't want to go that way - away from the Captain. He struggled against Dagwood's grasp but it was no use. _

The Captain strode into Medbay and almost ran into Wendy. That vaguely surprised him as she could sense people around her even before she saw them. She looked exhausted. He smiled tentatively over at his wife. He didn't like the look on either of their faces and as he looked over at Lucas sleeping fitfully on the bed he could see why. His face was flushed and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know yet. Dr Westphalen is running some blood tests for me but in the meantime I'm treating him with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. He may have picked up something in the Amazonian Confederation." A nurse picked up another two blood vials and turned to take them away for analysis.

"Like what? How did he deteriorate so quickly?"

The doctor looked up at the Captain and frowned. "I honestly don't know yet. This fever came out of nowhere and his temperature is climbing faster than it should be. Kristin has more experience with tropical diseases than me but even she hasn't seen anything like this."

Wendy held a hand up to each side of Lucas' face and tried to focus on his thoughts to help his body relax. The fever had really taken hold and his skin was burning under her hands. As always, a fever lessened a person's control over their thoughts and she could easily sense him. High temperatures also brought disorientation and often scrambled thoughts but she was stunned by what she was picking up now. It was as though she had tapped into another nightmare.

Images swirled into her mind that confused her. Glimpses of the _seaQuest _but she didn't recognise many of the faces. As she tried to make sense of what she was seeing Lucas grew more agitated. He moaned and tried to pull her hand away.

In her mind she could see fires burning from an explosion as debris showered down on them all. She was stunned to see herself in the image alongside Brody and another officer she didn't recognise. Bridger called to them from down a long corridor and it seemed as though they ran towards him in slow motion. Suddenly Lucas began to writhe on the bed. His eyes flew open but she knew he couldn't see her. A look of horror crossed his face as he cried out.

"Dagwood! ......... where are they? ......... Captain! Don't leave me here! .... Nooo, they can't all be _.._." his voice trailed off to a whimper.

The rawness of the emotions slammed into her as though someone had physically hit her. Overwhelming despair and grief. Involuntarily she pulled away and would have fallen to the floor if Bridger hadn't caught her. Her mind was screaming as wave after wave of emotions bombarded her. People screaming in agony. Pleading for help. The scene played out before her as though she was watching through someone else's eyes. As she passed out, the last image she saw was the large man with bizarre colours across his face. He seemed to be lunging at her and she could barely make out his words above the noise.

"Lucas, Captain Bridger said we have to go."

"Wendy! Can you hear me? Wendy!"

She didn't react as the Captain lifted her onto another bed. He could still hear Lucas behind him and wondered just what the doctor had seen to cause her to faint. As Dr Westphalen hurried back in he turned back to see Carol stroking Lucas' face, trying futilely to calm him. Tears streaked his cheeks and his breathing was uneven.

Gradually he began to calm down and his breathing slowed down. He seemed to be sleeping more naturally and Carol continued to gently stroke his hair and face.

Kristin had checked her vital signs but it was another ten minutes before Wendy began to rouse on the other bed. She looked up to see worried faces watching her and struggled to sit up. Kristin eased her back down on the bed.

"Just take it easy."

She felt her head pounding and realised she needed to stay lying down for a little bit longer. She just needed to check on Lucas first. The contact between them had been overwhelming and she was afraid of what state he was in.

"Lucas?" she managed to croak out one word.

"I can't explain it but his temperature is dropping." Kristin looked at Wendy and back at the Captain. Clearly she was missing something important in this equation. Neither seemed in a hurry to explain what it was. She glanced at Carol but realised she wasn't going to get an answer there either.

"Would _somebody _care to explain what just happened? I've been a doctor for a long time but I've never seen anything like that!"

Bridger looked at Dr Smith and nodded slightly. There was no point trying to hide the obvious.

Wendy looked slightly confused as she began to try to explain what she had just experienced. "I'm empathic. Lucas was having a nightmare and I kind of got drawn into it."

Kristin knew she wasn't getting the whole answer but was startled at the mention of a nightmare.

"A nightmare?"

"Yes. A particularly nasty one." Wendy shuddered involuntarily at the memory of the screams. For some reason she couldn't shake she was sure she had heard herself screaming.

Kristin hesitated before responding. She didn't know if it was tied in but she felt it was worthwhile mentioning anyway. Clearly something very strange was going on here and she needed answers. As she watched the monitor closely, Lucas' temperature was still dropping. No antibiotic yet invented worked that fast.

"He had a nightmare the other night. Just before he called the _seaQuest." _

Bridger looked at her closely. "Do you know what it was about?"

"Well he said he needed to stop the _seaQuest." _Kristin frowned as she tried to recall the details. A lot had happened in the short timeframe since then and the nightmare had quickly been forgotten. "He also said it was more than just Robert. He had to stop the _seaQuest. _Who is Robert?"

"Our son."

Kristin wasn't sure what to make of Carol's tone of voice but she still felt she was missing a vital piece of this puzzle. Wendy slowly sat up on the bed. "Captain, I'm sorry. This is what I wanted to talk to you about this morning. Lucas had another nightmare during the night. He called out to me in the dream and I went down to his quarters. I should have checked in on him earlier this morning but I just ... I just got busy."

"We all did," he answered quietly. It was no excuse. They had all missed helping Lucas and now he was in Medbay.

"What's going on?" A shaky voice drew their attention back to Lucas. His eyes were open but he looked dazed. Kristin checked his temperature again while Wendy moved over and picked up one his hands.

"How are you feeling?"

"You were there." He stared at her. "You came and got me out again. Where was I?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. That was a scary place." Lucas nodded at her as the images swirled around in his mind. He closed his eyes as if to block them out but they persisted. "I want it gone! Please, you have to make it stop!"

"I'm trying to work out how to Lucas and I think I have a friend who may be able to help." She smiled encouragingly at him. "For now I think you need to rest. Alright?"

He nodded slowly and closed his eyes. He was too tired to argue. As he slipped into sleep she was surprised to catch a glimpse of Kristin in his mind. She was dressed in a _seaQuest _uniform and the Captain was hugging her! Wendy gasped as she finally understood why he had gone after the doctor. In his future reality, Dr Westphalen had been part of the crew and Lucas had been very close to her. Bridger looked at her questioningly but she clearly wasn't going to say anything more in front of Lucas.

As she laid his hand down and moved away from the bed she gestured for the others to follow to her office. Somehow she had to explain to this other woman what was going on. She wasn't sure she even knew herself so it wasn't going to be an easy task.

They each settled on a chair or in the Captain's case, the edge of the desk. They all looked expectantly towards Dr Smith but she seemed unsure of how to start.

"Captain, I think I need to fill Kristin in as it seems Lucas sought her out." She was hoping he would pick up on what she meant and he didn't fail her.

"You mean he knew her?"

Wendy nodded but Kristin looked confused. "I never met him before he arrived in Curitiba. Maybe you have me confused with someone else?"

"No Doctor, I don't. But what we are about to tell you will no doubt sound crazy."

Kristin sat and listened as the three of them tried to fill in the missing pieces. She would have walked out except that this was the Captain of the UEO flagship talking and she doubted the UEO gave that job to madmen. When they showed her the footage of Lucas' hypnosis she was forced to consider their story seriously.

"So you think he knew me in his, what? _other_ reality?"

Wendy nodded. "From what I sensed he not only knew you but you were very close. You were a member of this crew."

Kristin stared at her in surprise. She had never told anyone she was considering applying to the UEO to work aboard the _seaQuest _because Cynthia had called her for help and somehow she had just stayed on. Working with the children had become just as much her passion as it was for Cynthia. All thoughts of a science job at sea had gone by the wayside. Until now.

_"So I made it through the selection process." _

She shook her head at the odd thought. It implied that she believed this crazy story.

Bridger had been watching her reaction and missed his wife's. Carol had felt that odd sensation again while Wendy talked. Finally she understood. If Lucas was close to both Nathan and Kristin then how close were they? An irrational sense of betrayal flitted through her mind. Her breath caught in her throat. If she had been long dead then why should she feel betrayed if her husband had found happiness again? It made no sense but then very little about this whole thing was normal. She pushed the thought aside and reminded herself that _this _Nathan had done nothing wrong.

She realised Wendy was talking again.

"Captain, Lucas is trying to remember something significant but he can't get to it. I was thinking that a friend of mine has extensive experience in this area and may be able to help."

Bridger nodded at her. They had to do something to help Lucas and he was all out of answers.

* * *

Lucas stared at the man coming through the door. His instincts told him to run but his body seemed frozen to the spot. Wendy approached the bed with the stranger beside her.

"Lucas, this is my friend Clay."

Clay held out a hand to Lucas but he declined to shake it. "Clay ... Marshall. I know you!" He whispered in fright.

Wendy was taken aback by his reaction and glanced over at Clay. His face was a smooth mask of calm and she didn't even bother trying to read him. He was far superior to her in that area. He didn't seem at all fazed by the odd response and quickly lowered his hand.

"It's alright Lucas. I'm here to help you. I understand you've had a traumatic experience and some of your senses may be a little off balance."

As he spoke Lucas felt as though liquid was running through his head. A silky stream that flowed into every nook and cranny. He tried to block out the image but it hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt his eyes burning. He quickly opened them again and the sensation stopped. Wendy seemed oblivious to his discomfort, which struck him as odd. She had been so tuned into him before.

Gradually the liquid flowed away and his foggy thoughts began to clear. He was surprised to see Clay was already half way out of the room, deep in conversation with Dr Smith. A sense of dread settled over him as he tried to recall how he knew Clay Marshall. What was it about the man that inspired such fear when Dr Smith seemed so at ease with him?

* * *

The atmosphere in the Wardroom was apprehensive. Bridger looked around at the faces of his senior crew. They had been briefed on what was happening with Lucas and nobody seemed sure of how to respond. Clay had spent many hours with Lucas over the last three days but it seemed as though the teenager was regressing rather than improving. The Captain had ordered their full co-operation and Clay had interviewed several of them already. He seemed particularly interested in the details of where their life experience differed significantly from what Lucas had described of his future.

Brody finally broke the silence. "Am I the only one who's uncomfortable with all this?"

"What do you mean Lieutenant?"

"I'm sorry Captain. I'm happy to help Lucas but this guy keeps digging into my head and it just ... it bugs me!"

Others nodded in agreement. None of them could clearly remember their sessions with Marshall. Bridger understood their discomfort but he didn't know how else to proceed. He decided that Clay had two more days to come up with something or he would stop this ... what was it exactly? Treatment?

Suddenly the Captain felt a scream of agony in his mind. He started from his chair and barely realised Dr Smith had jumped up too.

"You felt that?" She looked surprised.

"Yes! That was Lucas!"

The others were left behind as the Captain raced from the room towards Lucas' quarters. Wendy was close behind him.

They burst into the room to see Lucas lying on the floor. Blood was streaming from his nose and his body was convulsing violently. Wendy rushed over to clear the nearby chair from his head. Gradually the seizure stopped and Lucas lay still on the floor. She checked his breathing and pulse.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure but we need to get him back to Medbay."

* * *

Something about the man was bothering the Captain but he couldn't get a fix on it. His words sounded right but there was still some nagging thought there. Maybe when Lucas woke up he could explain what it was.

"As I said, Lucas is exhibiting signs of both physical and mental breakdown. I think his memory has been accelerated because he's back on the _seaQuest. _Close to the point of original issues and experiences. His body is manifesting what his mind can't deal with. I'm sorry Wendy but I really think he needs to be _off _this boat. The longer he stays here the more danger he is in."

The Captain stepped in. "Danger from what?"

Clay looked at him sympathetically. "He essentially has two sets of memories in his head. One is trying to reassert itself over the other and he will soon start displaying symptoms like schizophrenia. If he hasn't already."

"What!" Bridger didn't like what he was hearing.

"Hearing voices maybe. Trying to do things that don't make any sense to anyone else but are vitally important in his mind. The other possibility is that this will continue to manifest in physical symptoms. The headaches and disorientation, the bleeding from the nose. Have you noticed he is unbalanced when he walks sometimes? His depth perception is also sometimes affected. These are all possible indicators of a brain tumour. Captain if we don't help him get rid of the second set of memories it will very likely kill him."

Bridger paced the floor while Clay was talking but stopped at his last words. He felt as though an icy hand had just wrapped around his throat. "What are you proposing?"

"Well I think your facilities are limited here. I would like to take him back to Chatton with me. Captain I'm sorry but I think he will become a danger to himself if he stays here. Please, let me help him. After all that's why Wendy called me."


	9. Chapter 9

**This story never would have been written beyond Chapter One without the encouragement and ideas of reviewers so a huge thankyou from me to all of you.**

**I think this story has officially melted my brain! As I got your questions and started thinking in sixteen different directions at once I think I broke something in there. Time travel has been done lots of times in sci-fi and it always has a kind of paradoxical element to it. This tangled story was starting to do my head in and I was having trouble keeping it together and remembering what I had done with people. As I was writing I had all the previous chapters open on the computer so I could backtrack and try to keep it flowing. I guess this could have carried on further but like Lucas – I'm beat! I hope you enjoyed the ride but now I'm heading out for a swim since it's about 38 degrees outside. Celsius that is – dunno what that is in Fahrenheit but it's HOT! See ya next time!**

**Chapter Nine**

The liquid was running again. Like some slippery kind of eel it slid through his senses. Each time he tried to block it out it brought more pain. He struggled to keep his eyes shut as he tried not to give in. Eventually it proved too hard and he was forced to open them. He saw Clay's face only inches in front of him. He wanted to scream but there was nobody in Medbay to hear him. He wondered where everyone had gone but Clay's smug smile told him all he needed to know. The thought echoed around inside his head that he had been abandoned.

"_They don't care."_

He didn't hear the words so much as feel them. The stealthy whisper in his head made his skin crawl. As much as it hurt, he forced out a reply.

"They do." He didn't add what he wanted to. _Captain Bridger will stop you! _It cost him dearly just to get out the first two words. Searing pain ran through his head and he would have cried out if he could. Finally he couldn't hold out any longer and he passed out again.

"Damn it!" Marshall glared at the teenager on the bed. "So weak!"

He paced around the small room and tried to decide on a new attack plan. He hadn't yet managed to convince Bridger to let him take Lucas off the _seaQuest _but it was just a matter of time. The Captain had surprised him with his resistance. There was apparently some psi ability there but Bridger seemed unaware of it. It had certainly never been developed but nobody could withstand him for long anyway. Wendy had been far easier given their past relationship. Her genuine concern for her patient was more than enough for him to obtain plenty of information. They had even willingly shown him the footage of Lucas' hypnosis session.

When Wendy first called him he had known immediately she was onto something significant but he had to admit he'd been surprised at just how huge it was. With his unlimited security clearance and "persuasive" abilities, the idea of tapping into the power of time travel had been irresistible. Being able to undo past mistakes would mean he could be freed from his physical need for syntium. At first he had thought the trip to _seaQuest _would allow him access to another source but this was even bigger than that. He could see many possible futures laid out before him. He was drunk on the idea of how powerful he could become and nothing was going to stop him. Especially not some brat of a kid.

"Your great and mighty Captain isn't going to stop _me_," he whispered into Lucas' ear.

He watched as the expression on Lucas's face changed. He was dreaming again. Clay knew it was another opportunity to tap into the boy's psyche and he grabbed hold of his hand. The now familiar stench of smoke filled the air. The sound of screams merged with weapons fire but Clay looked around dispassionately. This dream was getting boring.

Lucas looked back and saw Clay behind him. He tried to run but his legs seemed rooted to the spot. Captain Bridger was a long way down the corridor and heading away from him. He tried to call out but nothing came out of his mouth. He could hear Wendy scream behind him and he turned just in time to see her cut down by a stormer. A stormer! Another piece of the puzzle dropped into his memory. A stormer was from Hyperion. He finally had a name for the hell-hole he kept finding himself in.

He swung back around to see an old man slowly walking towards him through the haze. He reached out and handed Lucas a small bronze-looking disc. As Lucas looked back up the old man shimmered and his image flickered between human features and alien. He wasn't like the stormer at all and not in the least bit threatening. Lucas had the strangest feeling they had met before but he couldn't be certain. Slowly the old man faded from view. Through the smoke Lucas saw Clay smirking at him. With a sickening feeling growing in his stomach he knew he had just handed the enemy a vital clue.

* * *

Kristin tried to decide what to say next. She had stayed behind when Malique and Cynthia had taken the boys off the boat to a UEO safe haven. Somehow she knew she needed to see this through. It was distressing to see how badly Lucas had deteriorated in the last few days. The Captain had called her into an urgent meeting to discuss their options. She seemed to be the least emotionally affected of the group but it was still strange how much it really mattered to her what happened to Lucas.

Her mind wandered a little as she recalled the conversation she had with Lucas only hours before. He had seemed so insistent but she knew he was imagining it. The nightmares were becoming real to him and he was projecting them onto the current circumstances.

"I'm curious. Tell me about you and me."

She had obviously decided his story was true because she couldn't help thinking about what her "other" self had done. The idea of living and working on _seaQuest _was a tantalizing one but then Cynthia had needed her and that had been the end of it. Until now. It had piqued her curiosity and she wanted to know how it had worked out.

While they talked she was unaware of the Captain coming in behind her. He was about to leave them to talk when he heard his name and paused in the doorway. Caught between curiosity and the uncomfortable feeling he was eavesdropping he hesitated a fraction of a second too long. Kristin saw him and called him over. There was no polite way to leave so he headed over.

"Hey Kiddo. How're you doing?" He smiled at Lucas and tried to stop himself from staring at the teenager's drawn features.

"I was just telling Kristin how much she loved being aboard _seaQuest._"

Nathan frowned slightly as he looked questioningly at the doctor.

"I was curious about what I … what the "other" me got up to here." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I know it sounds silly but I wanted to know and Lucas has told me I managed to perform my duties satisfactorily."

The Captain nodded thoughtfully. He too had been wondering about the alternative life with Kristin aboard. He had quickly shut it down though because it meant a life without Carol or Robert and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

Lucas smiled vaguely and seemed to be lost in thought. Kristin watched him and looked up to see Nathan was watching her reaction. He looked slightly embarrassed at being caught staring but a nagging thought kept chasing around in his head.

"I'm sure your work was more than satisfactory Doctor."

Before either could say anything further Lucas began to mutter something. Nathan touched his arm but got no reaction. Lucas' focus was somewhere else and he seemed to be speaking to someone else.

"Dagwood, you can't go in there."

Kristin looked worried at his loss of focus and glanced up at the Captain.

"Who is Dagwood?" she asked.

"We don't know. Someone he keeps mentioning but nobody we know." He turned his attention back to Lucas.

"Lucas, can you hear me?"

Lucas grabbed his wrist. "Dagwood don't go in there with him. He'll kill you!" He whispered the last part in an urgent hiss.

Bridger decided to play along with this new delusion. "Who will kill me?"

"Clay! He's after the missiles. He will kill anybody who tries to stop him!"

Kristin looked up, totally confused. _What would Clay want with missiles?_ Obviously Lucas was losing coherence again.

"Doctor? … Kristin?" Wendy spoke louder as she tried to get the other woman's attention.

Kristin shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about this morning. I'm so sorry." She looked embarrassed at her unprofessional behaviour and tried to pick up the thread of the conversation around her.

Wendy smiled sympathetically. She knew how hard it was to stay focussed when their thoughts were obviously elsewhere.

"We were just trying to decide what to do about sending Lucas with Clay. What do you think about his suggestion?"

Kristin already knew both sides of this argument. Nathan was adamant that Lucas stay on board but Wendy was equally insistent he should be moved to Chatton. As a doctor, Kristin felt obligated to give the best medical advice and that meant agreeing with Wendy.

"I'm sorry Captain but Clay is right. As he predicted Lucas is becoming more and more unstable. The scans we have run show more lesions forming on his brain. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it but he has gone downhill so rapidly. His speech is breaking down and he is displaying increasingly erratic mood swings. Many of the things he says don't make sense and he is showing signs of paranoia. These are all things that need specialist treatment, in a hospital."

The Captain sighed as he knew already that they were right. He just couldn't ignore the sense that there was still something wrong with their plan. Carol reached out and wrapped her hand over his. He knew what he had to do. He just didn't want to do it.

* * *

Clay finally decided that Lucas wasn't going to wake up any time soon so he decided to go for a walk. That disc was important and he needed to find it. He scowled as he realised what had been going on under their noses. These incompetent fools had had it in their possession all along and failed to see what it was. They thought it was big news finding evidence of Atlantis. How much bigger was it to understand the power of Atlantis came from somewhere other than this planet? Not only was time travel within his grasp but maybe interstellar travel was too. He headed out of Medbay and went looking for someone who would be able to help him recover the alien technology hidden somewhere on the submarine.

* * *

The Captain led the small group into Medbay and Wendy was surprised to see no personnel in the room. Lucas was asleep but that didn't mean he should have been left alone. As Carol reached out to take his hand in hers she couldn't stop the tears she'd been holding back for so long.

"It's not fair. He gave us so much and now he's suffering for his choice. I can't believe that Fate could be that cruel."

Nathan wrapped an arm around her waist. Eventually Lucas opened his eyes but it seemed as though it hurt him to do so. He looked directly at them and seemed to be trying to form a word. Wendy leaned in closer but he turned away from her. She was too close to Clay and no longer able to help him. She stood back up and tried not to take the rebuff personally. He wasn't thinking or acting normally after all.

The Captain leaned down and Lucas whispered in his ear. He raised his eyebrows in surprise but Lucas nodded slightly.

"All right. I'll call him."

Carol and Wendy listened as he pulled out his PAL and were surprised as he called Lieutenant Brody to Medbay. Why would Lucas want to speak to him? They weren't especially close after all. If it had been Ben maybe or even Tim it would have made more sense. Lucas closed his eyes and seemed to fall back to sleep but it wasn't long before Brody showed up. The Captain told him Lucas had asked for him. He was as surprised as them but they moved away to allow for privacy. He waited beside the bed and was debating whether or not to try waking him when Lucas slowly opened his eyes. Jim tried to hide his shock at the pain he saw in the teenager's eyes.

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

Lucas licked his lips and tried to speak. It hurt to make the thoughts line up properly but he knew this was his one chance to stop Marshall. He remembered that Brody had kept Clay out of his head before with inane, boring thoughts. Maybe this time round he could do the same thing.

"Daggers," he whispered.

Jim stared at him in shock. Nobody on board except the Captain knew about his time as a guard for the GELF colony. It was all classified and his record was sealed. The average person didn't even know they existed. Genetically engineered life forms weren't exactly the UEO's proudest achievement.

"_What_?"

"So you know I'm not hallucinating or anything. I know about the daggers." Lucas was struggling to breathe as he spoke. "Clay is killing me."

Brody frowned at his words. "What! Why?"

"Help me."

It had taken the last of his energy reserve to get that far and Lucas passed out again. Brody frowned in frustration and stood up slowly. What was he supposed to do with that? He knew he didn't trust the man but it seemed as though the doctor did. He decided he would just have to keep a close eye on the situation and see what happened. He also needed to stay out of Clay Marshall's way to stop him picking up on their conversation.

* * *

When all else failed it was always helpful to sit with Darwin. At least that had always been true in the past. As Bridger sat and stared into the water he watched his friend cruise slowly through the water.

"How did it come to this?" he mused to himself. Darwin stopped swimming and looked at him.

His PAL began to beep and he heard Jonathan's angry voice. "Sir, you need to come to the bridge. Someone has broken into the secure hold with the Atlantean artifacts."

Bridger stood up quickly and turned to leave.

"On my way Commander." He wondered who would do that and why now? He began a mental inventory of all the things they had picked up off the seafloor but Darwin's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Bad man!"

"Huh?"

"Bad man will hurt Lucas." Darwin stressed it again.

"What do you mean?"

'Bad man gets inside people. Changes their minds."

Bridger ran from the room and headed for Medbay. He called Ford on his way there and asked for a security detail to meet him there. As he ran through the doors of Medbay he nearly ran into Kristin.

"Captain! Lucas is missing. We have just called for a search team and Wendy is on her way back here."

"Where's Marshall?"

The tone of his voice was angry and she realised she had no idea where Clay had gone. When she didn't answer he tried again.

"When did you last see him?"

"I … I don't remember. It's strange really … I'm not sure …" She looked confused as she realised she had lost track of time. Clay had been there before but he had left Lucas to sleep. At least that was what he said but now she wasn't so sure.

The security detail ran through the doors and stopped in front of the Captain.

"Find Marshall but use extreme caution. He's dangerous and will try to manipulate your thinking."

* * *

Lucas stumbled into his room and almost fell onto the floor. Brody had an arm around his waist to steady him but it seemed as though Lucas' legs had turned to jelly. Brody eased him down onto the bunk and straightened up. He looked anxiously at the boy's face and began to wonder if this was such a good idea. Lucas was struggling to catch his breath and his face was almost grey.

Lucas raised his hand and pointed towards a small metal footlocker. "In there," he whispered.

Brody pulled the locker out and pried it open. Inside was an assortment of what looked like vintage electronic equipment. None of it could possibly still work. To anyone but Lucas it was just junk. The best place to hide something of value. As he fumbled around in the box he finally felt it. A smooth metal disc. He pulled it out and held it up to show Lucas.

"That's it. You have to destroy it." The urgency in his voice was unmistakable even as he wheezed out the words. "You can't let him get it."

Before Brody could answer, the door swung open. The Captain strode through the doorway before rushing over to Lucas. He glared at Brody before demanding to know why they were there.

"Lucas isn't in any fit state to be out of Medbay!" He sat down on the bunk and looked anxiously at Lucas.

Brody started to answer when he heard footsteps behind them. Clay stood in the doorway with a smirk plastered on his face.

"They were just retrieving something for me Captain. That should have been locked away with the other artifacts but your young friend here decided to keep it for himself."

Bridger looked at Lucas and noticed the bronze disc lying on the bed beside him. Lucas reached out and clutched it protectively. He had finally remembered slipping it out of the science lab when all the other things were catalogued and locked away. At the time he had felt compelled to study it more but gradually it had slipped from his memory. Until today.

"You've been holding out on me and that's not smart." The tone of voice was laced with barely restrained anger.

The water began to trickle through his mind again but as Lucas tried to resist it the liquid turned to fire. He would have screamed if he could open his mouth. Brody saw what was happening and lunged at Marshall. With barely a flick of his wrist Clay sent the lieutenant flying and he slammed headfirst into the wall. His body crumpled to the floor and he didn't move again.

Bridger tried to stand up but felt as though he was frozen. He glanced at Lucas and saw he had his eyes screwed shut in concentration. Sweat trickled down his face and Clay stepped towards them. Slowly. Menacing. Like a lion stalking its prey.

The Captain managed to pull one hand up and he grabbed Lucas by the wrist. The boy didn't react but he held onto the disc and began to shake. Flashes of images appeared in the Captain's mind. Hundreds of them as though a film reel was flickering before his eyes. He saw Lucas in the moonpool with Darwin. Robert ran down the pier as a small boy. Carol looked radiant on their wedding day. Graduation day at the Academy. Bill Noyce as a new recruit stood beside him in the registry office. Time seemed to be going in reverse and the images whirled faster and faster. He stood inside the ancient cavern where he had wtinessed the wonders of Atlantis. An old man walked past, deep in conversation with a strange yet familiar being.

Suddenly the scenes shifted in their tone. _SeaQuest _was under fire. Jonathan's voice was coming over the PAL telling him they were done for. He felt his stomach churn as he realised his crew was going to die. He briefly wondered where he was if he wasn't at the helm. Smoke choked the air and he heard Wendy scream. Miguel fell down before him, a gaping blast wound in his chest. Alien stormers ran towards them. He wondered how he knew what they were?

Lucas' voice drifted over the noise. Terror in his voice but he said he was coming back for them. No! He would not take another life down with them. Least of all Lucas. The boy he loved like a son. If anything could be salvaged from this then he could spare Lucas' life. Bridger heard himself issue the order – turn back. Save yourself. Remember us.

He looked again and saw that the world map was all wrong. Landmasses had been swallowed by the oceans. Madmen ruled the globe. His life's work, his dream had become a weapon of war. Perpetual war. Another man stood at the helm while he disappeared into a void.

He saw Lucas standing on a beach in the darkness. All grown up and looking as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He held a small disc in his hand. The Captain barely caught the words as they carried away over the water.

"I choose for the Captain to be happy."

It seemed as though Clay moved in slow motion towards them as Bridger reeled through the memories. How could they be memories? He wasn't sure if they were past or future tense. Somehow he had been pulled into Lucas' vision but there was suddenly no sign of Lucas anywhere. He felt a searing pain through his mind as he realised Clay was standing before him on the beach.

"What right do you have to this life?"

The voice echoed in his head. What right _did_ he have? He saw in a heartbeat what Lucas had given up for him. Suddenly it all made sense. Except for how? How did he manage to go back?

"Your son should have died, Captain. And your wife. What he did distorted the natural order of things." The logic in the words was irrefutable and Bridger struggled to nail what was bothering him about them.

Clay continued on. "He had no right to do it. He doesn't belong in your world because your world shouldn't exist. This one should. Lucas is paying the price for his meddling. I'm going to set it right."

"Who made _you_ God?" The Captain glared at the other man.

Bridger felt the smooth liquid trickling into his mind. He tried to fight it because he knew something wasn't right. The pain increased as he fought against it. He looked up to see Lucas standing on the beach. Clay began to move towards him and Bridger instinctively reacted. The man was not there to help and Lucas was in danger. His feet sunk into the sand and he felt like he was walking in quicksand. He tried to call out to Lucas to warn him but nothing came out.

_**All right people – this is where you get to choose. If you want happy like I set out to do originally then keep reading. If you have a slightly twisted streak in you like my evil muse then go down to the bottom of this bit. Or you can just read both and delete the one you don't want.**_

As he struggled he felt a hand reach out and grasp his wrist. An old man began to pull him from the sand. He was surprised someone so old could have such strength but he was grateful to be freed. He began to head towards Lucas but the old man laid a hand on his shoulder.

"He is alright. Watch." As he did so he felt a whisper in his mind.

_What was, may not be. What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose._

The words on the helmet that didn't seem to make sense at the time. A full heart? Full of what? Suddenly it all made sense. The helmet held a curse but also a blessing. It was as if the long dead artisan who crafted it could look into a person's heart and see what motivated them.

The old man spoke again. "This is his choice. He has made the same choice before and will not back away from it now."

Bridger wanted to shout at him. Obviously Lucas wasn't alright but as he watched, the old man's face began to shimmer and change. Alien features looked out at him from beneath human features. The two blended and he realised they looked familiar. As he stared he knew they had met before. He didn't know where or when but he felt a sense of peace as he turned back to watch Clay.

The man had reached Lucas and was arguing with him. Lucas held a metal disc in his hands and Clay grabbed at it and clutched it to his chest. As he did so it began to heat up and it shattered. Whitehot slivers of metal flew in all directions. Clay collapsed on the sand but as Bridger ran to Lucas he could see he was unharmed. He turned back to the old man but there was no sign of him.

Bridger awoke to the sound of frantic voices. Laser tools were being used to remove the door's hinges. He looked down to see he had Lucas' limp body cradled in his arms. Blood trickled down from his nose. The Captain's first thought was one of panic. _God, no!_

He slowly reached out to check for a pulse and he felt Lucas stir slightly. He gently shook him just as the security team crashed through the door. A flurry of voices and activity swirled around him but he had just one focus. He had no idea how long they had been gone but he finally understood. Even as the images and memories were fading from his mind, the emotions remained. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Lucas' face even as Carol tried to get his attention.

Kristin and Wendy had moved into automatic doctor mode and he noticed Wendy kneeling down beside Clay. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up. Without saying a word he knew the man was dead. He looked over and saw the disc behind him on the floor. It was shattered into pieces. In the back of his mind he wondered what it would take to splinter metal like that.

A medic was attending to Brody, who still hadn't moved either. He saw them treating his bleeding head so it was obvious he wasn't dead. Bridger breathed a sigh of relief and realised Kristin was speaking to him. He shook his head and looked back down at Lucas. He was surprised to see he was awake.

"Hey Kiddo," he whispered.

Lucas smiled back at him.

"Captain. It's gone."

It took a moment to register that Lucas was speaking coherently.

"You mean …do you remember anything?"

"The old man."

Bridger nodded. The only thing remaining in his mind was an image of an old Native American man. He wasn't sure what he had to do with anything but something told him it didn't matter if he didn't know.

"Captain?"

"Mmmm."

"What's the Christmas Tree?"

Bridger looked at him oddly. He hadn't heard that reference in a long time. "That's a nickname my friend used for an undersea trench that looked like a Christmas tree. Why?"

"Stay away from it."

"If you say so," he smiled.

**The alternative sad ending. Blame my evil muse for this part!**

As he struggled he felt a hand reach out and grasp his wrist. An old man began to pull him from the sand. He was surprised someone so old could have such strength but he was grateful to be freed. He began to head towards Lucas but the old man laid a hand on his shoulder.

"He is alright. Watch." As he did so he felt a whisper in his mind.

_What was, may not be. What is, may be lost. Only a full heart may choose._

The words on the helmet that didn't seem to make sense. A full heart? Full of what? Suddenly it all made sense. The helmet held a curse but also a blessing. It was as if the long dead artisan who crafted it could look into a person's heart and see what motivated them.

The old man spoke again. "This is his choice. He has made the same choice before and will not back away from it now.."

Bridger wanted to shout at him. Obviously Lucas wasn't alright but as he watched, the old man's face began to shimmer and change. Alien features looked out at him from beneath human features. The two blended and he realised they looked familiar. As he stared he knew they had met before. He didn't know where or when but he felt a sense of dread as he turned back to watch Clay.

The man had reached Lucas and was arguing with him. Lucas held a metal disc in his hands and Clay grabbed at it and clutched it to his chest. As he did so it began to heat up and it shattered. Whitehot slivers of metal flew in all directions. Both Clay and Lucas collapsed on the sand. As Bridger ran to Lucas he could see both of them were bleeding from chest wounds. He turned back to the old man for help but there was no sign of him.

Bridger awoke to the sound of frantic voices. Laser tools were being used to remove the door's hinges. He looked down to see he had Lucas' limp body cradled in his arms. Blood trickled down from his nose. The Captain's first thought was one of panic. _God, no!_

He slowly reached out to check for a pulse and realised there wasn't one. He frantically began CPR as the security team crashed through the door. A flurry of voices and activity swirled around him but he had just one focus. He had no idea how long they had been gone but he finally understood. Even as the images and memories were fading from his mind, the emotions remained. He couldn't stop trying even as Kristin tried to get his attention.

Kristin and Wendy had moved into automatic doctor mode and he noticed Wendy kneeling down beside Clay. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up. Without saying a word he knew the man was dead.

A medic was attending to Brody, who still hadn't moved either. He saw them treating his bleeding head so it was obvious he wasn't dead.

He heard Kristin's words but refused to allow them to settle in his thinking. As he felt gentle hands pull him back he saw the disc behind him on the floor. It was shattered into pieces. In the back of his mind he wondered what it would take to splinter metal like that.

He slid forward on the floor and pulled Lucas' lifeless body into his arms again. As Carol wrapped her arms around his shoulders he felt himself begin to shake.


End file.
